Sat Nov 8 17:32:00 2014 Luke,Just read about Bicycle Benefits. Doesn't look to be of much use to me here in Federal Way. Nothing in Tacoma, and I don't get to Seattle often on my bike - particularly to bars, which seem to dominate the list. My Cascade and LAB membership cards are more useful to me here - at least with my bike mechanic. He often gives me a discount that he attributes to 'frequent buyer' or whatever bike clubs/associations I'm a member of.

Sat Oct 11 20:33:00 2014 For Washington bike commuters (and other non-drive-alone modes), RideShareOnline is having its semi-annual Wheel Options campaign. Log commutes via eligible modes 6 times during in the month of October and be eligible in prize drawings. Grand prize is a trip to Hawaii.Now why am I telling you this and diluting the odds of my winning the Hawaii trip. Just don't know any better, I guess.http://wheeloptions.icarpool.comorhttp://rideshareonline.com

Fri Sep 26 11:49:00 2014 @Louise, Thanks for attending the Dome to Defiance event on behalf of BicycleAlliance. The route was so good I rode through it twice. Good to meet you and chat and glad to have an opportunity to thank you for your updates and links on the NBC. I really enjoyed the fully loaded sweet potato from the Caveman and the cake from Celebrity Cake Studio. A great time in spite of the rain.

Tue Sep 23 01:06:00 2014 About poor forecasts - today was supposed to be socked in with rain all day. Looked out this afternoon and there was the sun. Got in a brief ride (only 5 miles) before the rain clouds sent me back to the house. Not that I won't ride in the rain; just not today.

Tue Sep 23 01:01:00 2014 Thankful for poor weather forecasts. Saturday was supposed to be a washout. Instead, I got to ride the Iron Horse Trail from Cedar Falls to Hayak and back. Overcast going up, but beautiful blue skies and white, puffy clouds on the way down. And a great group of folks to ride with. It was one of the Cascade "daily ride" series.

Sat Sep 20 19:59:00 2014 On the plus side, today we met with the chair of the Land Use and Transportation committee that will have to buy in to our plan before it goes to Council for approval, and he is very supportive. We'll keep this ball rollin'

Thu Sep 18 20:43:00 2014 Thanks to all of you who responded to my call for Likes for our grant funding project. The final tally isn't in, but I believe we fell a few votes shy of winning the challenge. Even so, your support is encouragement as we continue to work to make Federal Way a friendlier, safer place for pedestrians and cyclists.

Thu Sep 18 15:40:00 2014 One last plea for support in our quest to win a $1000 grant to support our efforts to get greenways and other improvements to safety for walkers and cyclists in Federal Way. The link is in my message below, so I won't repeat it here. We're in second place right now and within about a dozen votes of the lead. Your vote matters, and I will appreciate it. If you've already responded, I really do thank you. Ride safe, and ride often!

Sun Sep 14 20:45:00 2014 @Luke - I just looked at the Walla Walla weekend and it sounds great. Unfortunately, I suspect I'll be busy with other activities then. One reason I've had time for the rides this weekend is that I'm 'home alone.' My wife is back in the southeast visiting family. I keep trying to get her comfortable enough on a bike to join me on events like this. It's a slow process.

Sun Sep 14 20:27:00 2014 Safer communities for human-powered transportation. Safe routes to school & local shopping. Yes this is a reminder of my blatant request for Facebook Likes for our Federal Way Biking project posting on the Weyerhaeuser making WAVEs Facebook page. We're trying to win a $1000 grant to help support our efforts for the first Federal Way greenway (aka bike boulevards). Although the actual expenses for greenways implementation will likely come from city funds or other grant processes, this grant would help fund outreach and advocacy efforts, If you would like to support our cause, please go to the WYmakingWAVES page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/WYMakingWAVES, find the posting from Brent Frandsen that includes the Federal Way Biking video, and 'Like' it.The deadline is Sept 18. Thanks for your support.

Sun Sep 14 20:18:00 2014 Rode my first "Cascade Daily Rides" yesterday and today. Yesterday was a 40 mile "7 cities tour" with a 2100' of climbing, Good ride and good conversation. Today was a flat, 38 mile ride from Renton to Alki and back - coffee & pastry run. Another fun ride albeit at a slower pace. Another Cascade Ride Leader qualified. Both rides had about 15 riders. Two of the riders today were from Portland. They were here visiting their son/daughyer. If the weather holds, I plan to ride the Renton to Black Diamond Bakery run with another Cascade group.

There are a couple of ways to let the governor know what you think. At this link http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.aspORHe’s also hosting a Twitter town hall Thursday (Sept. 12) on @GovInslee from 10–11 a.m. He will be using the hashtag #ResultsWA.

Bicycling and bicycle infrastructure could definitely have an impact on goals 2-4.

Fri Sep 5 16:20:00 2014 A blatant request for support. My company's volunteer grant program is holding a "Volunteer Champions Challenge" contest. The prize is $1000 for the non-profit or eligible governmental entity of the winning entrant's choice. As shown in the video that Joshua Putnam posted a few days ago, several of us are working to get the first greenway (also called 'bike boulevard') established in one of the residential areas of Federal Way. This first greenway will link people in the Twin Lakes neighborhood to schools, parks, and shopping along a route with signs and pavement markings indicating its shared usage by bikes, pedestrians and cars. If you might be inclined to support our cause, please go to the WYmakingWAVES page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/WYMakingWAVES, find the posting from Brent Frandsen that includes the Federal Way Biking video, and 'Like' it. The posting with the most "Likes" by 9/18 wins the grant. And you may find the post in one of two places on the page. "LIke" either one and your vote will count. The grant could help us make progress toward making our community more "friendly" to human powered transportation. And thanks for your support.

Sat Aug 23 18:08:00 2014 Totally with you Louise... though I have a set of wreath lights wrapped around my frame -- it's fun to be able to use them again (since they're basically invisible in summer sun. :-)

Thu Aug 21 22:59:00 2014 LOL. Did I miss something here? This is for fun, right?! Ride more. Stalk the stats less. As far as the possibility of riding those miles...I am a 61 year old lady who rode mileages like that on a cross country bike tour this spring. I am not fast but I'm steady. If I hadn't had to come back to reality (work, family) I'd still be doing it. Ride! Enjoy! Be safe! It's all good!

Wed Aug 20 20:58:00 2014 I'm not sure now if Chris is "No Name Provided" or not. If it's not Chris, I apologize to Chris for aiming my earlier remarks at him.

To "No Name Provided" - Long Puget Sound summer days are plenty of time for work and 75 to 100 miles of riding -- when one is accustomed to it, and 40+ miles of that are along a relatively flat valley in place of a car commute. Two 1/2 hours for the commute and a 2-4 hour recreational ride before or after, perhaps with friends in a paceline to get the speed up in the 20's. That's not out of the question, even with a normal workday here in the summer. As to whether or not someone can keep up that pace over time, it looks totally reasonable to me for someone well conditioned to riding. Even I can do back-to-back centuries, at a decent pace, if the terrain is not too challenging. I managed 16.2 mph on both days of the STP and went back to my commute ride the following Monday. I didn't ride a pace line, my steel touring steed is no lightweight, and I'm no athlete. I have no reason to question John's mileage log.

Wed Aug 20 12:03:00 2014 @Chris - At first I thought you were praising John's achievements, but now I'm not so sure. In case you were questioning the validity of his mileage claims, I'll tell you what I think I know. John is a member of Sterna Paradisea, a team that participates regularly in the Commute Challenge in May each year. Those guys are hard-core riders, logging high mileage each year. If John says he rides 500 miles/week, I believe him. He has a 40 mile round trip commute that he rides, so like me, he spends his getting to/from work time on a bike instead of in a car, probably 2 1/2 hours. He rides for fun before or after that. He rides long distances for fun or exercise on weekends and days off. Some people fish, some people play golf, and some ride bikes. And for some people, a 200km bike ride is just getting started. John is clearly a cyclist. I'm working my way in that direction, but I'm a bit older and starting later. Getting in two or thee more 50+ mile rides during this year's NBC would be an achievement. I know there are plenty of high-mileage cyclists out there in Washington. I just wish we had more of them, as well as more of the rest of us, signed up and logging miles in the NBC.

Wed Aug 20 10:36:00 2014 @Gene - total honor system in play on this site. 500+ a week and peak weeks at 750? Someone went to Hempfest if they expect me to believe that nonsense...

Tue Aug 19 23:44:00 2014 @Chris, Rhetorical question? Or do you really want to know if I have ever tried riding 500+ miles a week? Considering I'm averaging 12 mph this month, 500+ would be like working a second full-time job. Yes, John is a stud.

Tue Aug 19 18:43:00 2014 @Gene - you ever try riding 500+ miles a week...every week? He must be a stallion. Riding 5+ hours each day and working full time. Wow thats gotta be tough.

Thu Aug 14 19:47:00 2014 @Louise - I've made a couple of posts on the national blog about improving outreach for next year's challenge. I don't recall having seen anything in Bicycle Paper promoting the NBC, although they are listed as a sponsor here on the WA page. I just searched the BP web page for "National Bike Challenge," but didn't get any meaningful hits. Did I miss something, or is this an opportunity for next year?

Mon Aug 11 17:23:00 2014 Hey, Lanny! Good job raising funds for any of these great causes. I never expected to be able to ride the Courage Classic but my workplace decided to have a team and I got to be part of it. Is MS Bike America the ride out of Mount Vernon?

Sat Aug 9 18:14:00 2014 @Gene. Great job on the completing the Courage Classic. I've heard nothing but good things about the event and it's one ride I would like to participate in. However, my fundraising is tied up for the MS Bike America. How was the root beer float?

Tue Jul 29 16:18:00 2014 CitiBikes are *very* convenient (many, many locations Midtown, Lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn) and comfort is pretty good, too. With 40-pound heft, only 3 speeds, and a generator hub, performance leaves something to be desired! But just fine for getting from here to there.

Tue Jul 29 13:44:00 2014 Hi Tina: There is bike safety education happening in many (but not all) of the schools in our state through Safe Routes to School programs. Driver's license manual includes info on how a motorist can safely interact with bicyclists and pedestrians AND there are questions about it on the driver's test. And driver's ed programs includes a curriculum module on driving safely around pedestrians and bicyclists - provided by the Bicycle Alliance of WA. Many of us share your frustration with the scofflaws.

Tue Jul 29 10:12:00 2014 Attached the trailer to my bike and went ot the grocery store. Added extra miles.. Other than Drivers acting like they were self entitled to speed by and turn in front of me. All was ok. The street I was on had no bike lanes so I used the Sidewalk. There is no other safe way to get to this store.The rest of the time I used the Interurban trail and a roads with bike lanes. I know ther is no drivers Ed now in Schools. Why is there no Bicycle education. Why isn't a part of the drivers test. I mean this for Both Sides. Cause I am also seeing plenty of bad Bicycle Riding as well. Amazing..

Sat Jul 26 12:30:00 2014 Last night I attended a neighborhood bike ride & meeting here in Federal Way. We're starting a project to get the first neighborhood greenway funded here in Federal Way. Small group for now, but lots of energy. We'll be reaching out to the target community for input on the route detail and to get them energized to help seek funding.

Fri Jul 25 17:50:00 2014 This past Saturday was the Chafe 150 in Sandpoint, ID. I participated for the first time. Such a beautiful route! It was very hot and I made the decision to call it a day at the 102 mile food stop since I was feeling very overheated and did not want to experience a heat illness. Then I was off to Seattle on Sunday for 3 days of training for work but was on foot with no bicycle. It was nice to be back home and ride to work this morning!

Fri Jul 25 12:41:00 2014 STP was a lot of fun this year. Great weather, and overnighted at the home of a friend I hadn't seen since he retired 6 years ago. Great things can happen when bikes are involved.

Tue Jul 15 18:29:00 2014 More rides to go. Next planned "non-commute" ride is up to see the surgeon who fixed my hip fracture in December. I think this is my last follow-up visit, and I thought it would send a good message about my recovery if I were to show up on bike. Weather's forecast to be really nice, so I'll take the afternoon off and ride.

Tue Jul 15 15:22:00 2014 For all you STP riders who completed the task in one or two days, my hat is off to you all. However, the cycling season is far from over! No hanging up the bikes yet. Get out there and ride hard/ride safe.

Tue Jul 15 12:46:00 2014 One more STP story. Don't 'short' red lights. Just don't. I was rolling up eastbound behind a group on Sunday at a stop light along a stretch of Highway 30 in Oregon. A westbound car turned left in front of us. This was not a really long light, given it was on the intersection of a major highway and a cross road. But it looked too long to some, and since there were no conflicting vehicles in sight, 3 guys the front of the group jumped the light before it turned green. There was a patrol car sitting off to our right watching it all. Lights flashed and the chase was short. Patrolman and cyclists and bikes were off to the side of the road for a little traffic law education. Somehow I don't think those guys made up any time at all by jumping the light early. They may have even gotten the opportunity to contribute to the local government's income.

Tue Jul 15 12:39:00 2014 Thanks, Luke. There were some mishaps on the STP, but I wasn't one of them, other than a little red skin that I missed with the sunscreen, and almost unavoidable "butt-burn" from chip-seal & rough concrete. There were some glorious stretches of smooth asphalt. I think I could have ridden 150 in a day this weekend, although I probably would have been spent. For encouragement, note that I rode for a while with a woman who had only been riding since last August - and she had signed on with more experienced friends to ride the first 150 of the STP on Saturday. When I left them at what was 120 miles for them, she was still riding strong - not as fast as her friends would have ridden on their own, but she was a valiant rider, given her level of experience. I think you'll do fine. A lot of it is just a head game.

Tue Jul 15 12:38:00 2014 PIcked up a summer cold overnight Friday, so I started the STP with a cough & scratchy throat. Not enough to keep me from the ride. And it was great fun. Pure Pacific NW summer. Ran into a friend who got a last minute registration, and we rode together for a while on Sat & Sun. Also rode with a small band of mostly Cascade ride leaders for my last 20 miles on Saturday.

My meager weight loss attempts didn't yield much this year, but Wilma (my bike) had more success on her diet - lighter rims & tires, and loss of stem bag, rack trunk and associated rack. She just kept wanting to go faster and shed her heavy touring, commuter reputation. Surprised myself with 16.1 mph (while riding) for the 100 on Sat & 16.2 for the 80 miles on Sunday. Had I stopped at 70, Sunday's ride would have been 16.5. Traffic & congestion in Portland slowed things down near the finish line.

I had a great time Saturday night & Sunday morning visiting a retired work colleague on his 42 acre farm. great to reconnect - and that big hunk of salmon Sat. night was a good refuel for Sunday.

I'll post the ride to the NBC, but I didn't log it with Endomondo. My poor Android overheats and runs out of battery in as little as 40 mi., so I logged the ride with my new low end Garmin.

Sun Jul 13 00:21:00 2014 Rick, wishing you and the other 9,999 riders a safe ride this weekend. I'll be heading up to Sandpoint, Idaho next weekend for the Chafe 150. I'm feeling a bit nervous since it will be my longest 1 day ride ever.

Fri Jul 11 13:19:00 2014 Riding the short STP this year - starting from home and joining the throng on West Valley for about 180 total miles . Its a long carbon-spewing trip to the starting line from the Pierce county line just to transport a bike. Overnighting at a friend's house south of the midpoint, so it should be a fun weekend.

Working on Platinum, Diamond's gonna be tough unless I up my game. But that is as it should be.

Wed Jul 9 15:18:00 2014 624 registered riders and only 493 logging any miles during the challenge period. Come on, folks. Where are all those rabid WA cyclists? I'm handing out cards at bike shops and to riders I meet on the road. Where is everyone? There'll be 10,000 of us on the road between Seattle & Portland on Saturday, and the vast majority are probably from this state, right? OK, gotta make more cards to hand out this weekend.

Sat Jul 5 15:17:00 2014 @carmen...I feel the same way. Saw a girl walking her ferret this morning on a side street. Would have never see it if I'd been driving.

Fri Jul 4 00:10:00 2014 Added bonus of riding a bike is the things you find that you would normally not see while driving. Such as finding a steel trowel yesterday and $2 this morning. Although the $2 makes up for the coffee I spilled on my morning commute yesterday.

Sun Jun 29 08:42:00 2014 I have a Motorola Matrix HD from AT&T, and I am,wondering why I cannot download the app as it is not on the list, (or at least I didn't see it anyway). Anyone have any info on this?

Sun Jun 29 03:42:00 2014 I have a Motorola Matrix HD from AT&T, and I am,wondering why I cannot download the app as it is not on the list, (or at least I didn't see it anyway). Anyone have any info on this?

Fri Jun 27 01:56:00 2014 Rick: I feel your suffering of summer weather in MS! We actually two Centennial Trails in WA - one in Snohomish County and the other one in Spokane. Which one do you plan to ride?

Thu Jun 26 20:56:00 2014 Rick: I feel your suffering of summer weather in MS! We actually two Centennial Trails in WA - one in Snohomish County and the other one in Spokane. Which one do you plan to ride?

Thu Jun 26 20:38:00 2014 Steady as she goes Don! Yes, it looks like summer is just around the corner. Does that mean the wind will stop? I don't think we've hit 300 sunny days in the six years I have lived here, so you can blame me. See you out there!

Thu Jun 26 15:38:00 2014 Steady as she goes Don! Yes, it looks like summer is just around the corner. Does that mean the wind will stop? I don't think we've hit 300 sunny days in the six years I have lived here, so you can blame me. See you out there!

Thu Jun 26 04:06:00 2014 @Louise - I hope to have an opinion about the Centennial after the 4th. I'm planing to take my better half there for a ride that weekend. I've heard really good things about it.

Thu Jun 26 03:56:00 2014 Ha! I'm just getting little nibbles this week, partly because I've found summer weather. Out in Starkville, MS, this week, on a business trip. 89 F at 6:30 pm when I got out for a quick few miles. Don't know the area well enough to know where a good ride is, so I'm just exploring. Most of the in-town roads had a lot of 4-way stops . Safer than 2-way for cyclists, but it's hard to get momentum. Found one 'long' drive with bike lanes that was a throughway. That was nice. The heat makes me really appreciate those 60's and occasional 70's back home.

Thu Jun 26 02:28:00 2014 Little nibbles every day. I haven't really done any long rides yet this year. We haven't had our nice, summer weather. Maybe this weekend will be good. It is starting to look like we will get into the upper-nineties. We are most certainly not going to hit our advertised 300 days of sunshine this year!

Wed Jun 25 23:06:00 2014 @Louise - I hope to have an opinion about the Centennial after the 4th. I'm planing to take my better half there for a ride that weekend. I've heard really good things about it.

Wed Jun 25 22:56:00 2014 Ha! I'm just getting little nibbles this week, partly because I've found summer weather. Out in Starkville, MS, this week, on a business trip. 89 F at 6:30 pm when I got out for a quick few miles. Don't know the area well enough to know where a good ride is, so I'm just exploring. Most of the in-town roads had a lot of 4-way stops . Safer than 2-way for cyclists, but it's hard to get momentum. Found one 'long' drive with bike lanes that was a throughway. That was nice. The heat makes me really appreciate those 60's and occasional 70's back home.

Wed Jun 25 21:28:00 2014 Little nibbles every day. I haven't really done any long rides yet this year. We haven't had our nice, summer weather. Maybe this weekend will be good. It is starting to look like we will get into the upper-nineties. We are most certainly not going to hit our advertised 300 days of sunshine this year!

Wed Jun 11 18:40:00 2014 Thanks Louise! You'll see me around the registration table and at the 3rd food stop. For the second year my food stop will be powered by bicycle. This year I'm excited to have some help hauling all the food and gear up to our spot.

Wed Jun 11 17:55:00 2014 @Louise Thanks for the shout out. Love to see what other bloggers are sayiing about the Challenge

Wed Jun 11 13:40:00 2014 Thanks Louise! You'll see me around the registration table and at the 3rd food stop. For the second year my food stop will be powered by bicycle. This year I'm excited to have some help hauling all the food and gear up to our spot.

Tue Jun 10 06:00:00 2014 How was your ride this weekend? I had planned a 70 mile ride on Sat but discovered a significant crack in my rear wheel a short way into the ride and had to head back to town. Got a ride in this morning on a loaner wheel. Beautiful weather here in Walla Walla and the wheat is starting to change color with harvest about a month away.

Tue Jun 10 01:00:00 2014 How was your ride this weekend? I had planned a 70 mile ride on Sat but discovered a significant crack in my rear wheel a short way into the ride and had to head back to town. Got a ride in this morning on a loaner wheel. Beautiful weather here in Walla Walla and the wheat is starting to change color with harvest about a month away.

Fri Jun 6 18:05:00 2014 We at the Bicycle Alliance believe that some of the best bike trails are right here in Washington! Do you have a favorite bike trail? We want you to tell us about it! Please take a minute to complete our trail survey:http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WABikeTrails

Fri Jun 6 16:15:00 2014 @ Rick, you're a man after my own heart. I too believe we need to somehow tap that CBC Commute Challenge esprit de corps. I too used the Commute Challenge to recruit members to the NBC by sending them a message in the challenge a rider/team system. Washington State stands to be a huge competitor if we can just coerce our ridership to participate.I love the statistical breakdown provided by events such as this and use it to leverage local agencies and government representatives to prioritize funding for bicycling infrastructure. My team ATAPA and I and our constituents live in the land of the Olympic Discovery Trail. We are serious about creating an active transportation conduit from Port Townsend to the Pacific Coast but would also like to get some inroads for connecting to ferry service from Seattle and Edmonds.Several of our group will be riding the Flying Wheels this weekend. Perhaps I'll borrow your card idea and promote the NBC while riding. If we all spread the word and participate, we could get some serious traction on the rankings for our state.

Fri Jun 6 13:05:00 2014 We at the Bicycle Alliance believe that some of the best bike trails are right here in Washington! Do you have a favorite bike trail? We want you to tell us about it! Please take a minute to complete our trail survey:http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WABikeTrails

Fri Jun 6 11:15:00 2014 @ Rick, you're a man after my own heart. I too believe we need to somehow tap that CBC Commute Challenge esprit de corps. I too used the Commute Challenge to recruit members to the NBC by sending them a message in the challenge a rider/team system. Washington State stands to be a huge competitor if we can just coerce our ridership to participate.I love the statistical breakdown provided by events such as this and use it to leverage local agencies and government representatives to prioritize funding for bicycling infrastructure. My team ATAPA and I and our constituents live in the land of the Olympic Discovery Trail. We are serious about creating an active transportation conduit from Port Townsend to the Pacific Coast but would also like to get some inroads for connecting to ferry service from Seattle and Edmonds.Several of our group will be riding the Flying Wheels this weekend. Perhaps I'll borrow your card idea and promote the NBC while riding. If we all spread the word and participate, we could get some serious traction on the rankings for our state.

Thu Jun 5 22:12:00 2014 Luke, I'm with you. Washington has great potential. The mileage tally in the Commute Challenge in King county dwarfed the NBC mileage for the whole state in May. I see that Sterna Paradisea (a Boeing team) signed up and logged their May miles. That's a huge help. I hope my lobbying at the Captains' Bash and my posting on the Commute Challenge web site brings us some more NBC riders.

Thanks, Louise. I shrank the postcard promo from the NBC marketing materials to business card size and printed up some micro-perf card stock. Two problems that I didn't have time to deal with - the text is very small. Only "National Bike Challenge" is readable without a magnifier for those of us of a certain age. Second, the small text is in a low-contrast, gray font, making it all the harder to read. Still,. it's something I can hand out for a reminder to people I talk with. Cheaper to print and easier to carry on bike than a stack of post cards. It would be great if BAW or NBC offered a more readable business-card-sized template that we could use in our 1:1 marketing efforts.

The weather is great on the here on the we(s)t side of the Cascades. Let's ride!

Thu Jun 5 18:21:00 2014 @Rick - I bought one of the NBC Jerseys and have started wearing it on some group rides and making announcements. I like the card idea. I may need to print some of those up as well. I feel like WA has the potential to be much higher in the state rankings in the NBC if we could just get a bit more participation. With some help from our local Health Department the participation in Walla Walla has jumped from 19 last year to over 80 so far this year.

Thu Jun 5 17:12:00 2014 Luke, I'm with you. Washington has great potential. The mileage tally in the Commute Challenge in King county dwarfed the NBC mileage for the whole state in May. I see that Sterna Paradisea (a Boeing team) signed up and logged their May miles. That's a huge help. I hope my lobbying at the Captains' Bash and my posting on the Commute Challenge web site brings us some more NBC riders.

Thanks, Louise. I shrank the postcard promo from the NBC marketing materials to business card size and printed up some micro-perf card stock. Two problems that I didn't have time to deal with - the text is very small. Only "National Bike Challenge" is readable without a magnifier for those of us of a certain age. Second, the small text is in a low-contrast, gray font, making it all the harder to read. Still,. it's something I can hand out for a reminder to people I talk with. Cheaper to print and easier to carry on bike than a stack of post cards. It would be great if BAW or NBC offered a more readable business-card-sized template that we could use in our 1:1 marketing efforts.

The weather is great on the here on the we(s)t side of the Cascades. Let's ride!

Thu Jun 5 17:09:00 2014 Still handing out my business-card-sized promos for the NBC. One yesterday to my physical therapist, and one this morning to a young lady doing "hill work" -- which happened to be the hill that crests just up from my house. We talked for a few minutes. She was prepping for her 2nd STP, as am I. But she's a marathoner, and, I think, works harder at it than I do. She was familiar with Endomondo, but not the NBC. I hope the card is a reminder for her when she gets home.

Thu Jun 5 13:21:00 2014 @Rick - I bought one of the NBC Jerseys and have started wearing it on some group rides and making announcements. I like the card idea. I may need to print some of those up as well. I feel like WA has the potential to be much higher in the state rankings in the NBC if we could just get a bit more participation. With some help from our local Health Department the participation in Walla Walla has jumped from 19 last year to over 80 so far this year.

Thu Jun 5 12:09:00 2014 Still handing out my business-card-sized promos for the NBC. One yesterday to my physical therapist, and one this morning to a young lady doing "hill work" -- which happened to be the hill that crests just up from my house. We talked for a few minutes. She was prepping for her 2nd STP, as am I. But she's a marathoner, and, I think, works harder at it than I do. She was familiar with Endomondo, but not the NBC. I hope the card is a reminder for her when she gets home.

Sat May 31 17:16:00 2014 Let's hear it for your scrappy statewide bike advocates! Bicycle Alliance of Washington currently rounds out the top 3 on the workplace leaderboard--behind Boeing and Microsoft.

Sat May 31 12:16:00 2014 Let's hear it for your scrappy statewide bike advocates! Bicycle Alliance of Washington currently rounds out the top 3 on the workplace leaderboard--behind Boeing and Microsoft.

Thu May 29 17:38:00 2014 Celebrate your favorite trail this Sunday, National Trails Day! In honor of National Trails Day, WA State Parks is waiving the Discover Pass requirement at all state parks this Sunday.

Thu May 29 12:38:00 2014 Celebrate your favorite trail this Sunday, National Trails Day! In honor of National Trails Day, WA State Parks is waiving the Discover Pass requirement at all state parks this Sunday.

Sat May 24 06:05:00 2014 @ Joshua, look out Pacific, Port Angeles is gunning for 1st in state and we won't quit till we're number one! We'll be powered by ATAPA (Active Transportation Advocacy of Port Angeles).

Sat May 24 01:05:00 2014 @ Joshua, look out Pacific, Port Angeles is gunning for 1st in state and we won't quit till we're number one! We'll be powered by ATAPA (Active Transportation Advocacy of Port Angeles).

Fri May 23 03:26:00 2014 So glad the site lets you go back and log miles when you've let over a week go by without signing on! I'm moving this weekend and will have a much longer commute so from here on through September I'll be racking 'em up.

Thu May 22 22:26:00 2014 So glad the site lets you go back and log miles when you've let over a week go by without signing on! I'm moving this weekend and will have a much longer commute so from here on through September I'll be racking 'em up.

Mon May 19 21:59:00 2014 I was just doing a little calculation, and unless I am mistaken somewhere I won't actually hit the diamond mark unless I ramp up my miles. The daily casual 'around town' riding just isn't going to cut it.

Mon May 19 16:59:00 2014 I was just doing a little calculation, and unless I am mistaken somewhere I won't actually hit the diamond mark unless I ramp up my miles. The daily casual 'around town' riding just isn't going to cut it.

Sat May 17 17:51:00 2014 A little liquid sunshine out there this morning, but not bad. Thanks to Forterra, BAW, City of Federal Way and Phil's Bike Shop for the commute station at the north end of the BPA trail. And thanks to Poverty Bay Coffee for their support. of the station. And I did get a free Hazelnut Macchiato at Starbucks in Safeway, so thanks to Howard, too.

Sat May 17 12:51:00 2014 A little liquid sunshine out there this morning, but not bad. Thanks to Forterra, BAW, City of Federal Way and Phil's Bike Shop for the commute station at the north end of the BPA trail. And thanks to Poverty Bay Coffee for their support. of the station. And I did get a free Hazelnut Macchiato at Starbucks in Safeway, so thanks to Howard, too.

Thu May 15 21:18:00 2014 This evening is the national Ride of Silence. The following Washington communities are holding rides: Renton, Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver and Wenatchee. Ride details can be found here: http://www.rideofsilence.org/locations-domestic.php

Thu May 15 21:12:00 2014 Rick - We putting the word out abut the FW commute station and you'll see our Share the Road/Share the Trail materials on the table. Grab some to share with friends and co-workers!

Thu May 15 20:32:00 2014 Louise,My thanks to BAW. I just saw the note that BAW is co-sponsoring the commute station down my way. Forterra's name stands out the biggest on the flyer, and BAW is to the right with the City of Federal Way and Cascade. Thanks to you all.

Thu May 15 16:35:00 2014 Winter's over and road construction season has begun. Both routes from home to work now have active projects. My primary inbound route includes a wide sidewalk on a 5 lane arterial. That sidewalk was closed, and I had to climb the hill in traffic. I don't mind that so much, but some drivers are going to have to go back to school. It's not safe for two vehicles to occupy the same lane, even if the driver thinks they can both fit (car + bike = 2 vehicles).

Saw lots of bikes on the way home yesterday, and had a chance to mention the NBC to one rider. Went home and printed some business card stock with a reduced image of the NBC postcard from the Marketing Material tab. The print is small and I wish it had better contrast, but it gives me something to hand to folks when I mention the NBC. Maybe it will be a reminder to them to check it out when they get home.

Thu May 15 16:18:00 2014 This evening is the national Ride of Silence. The following Washington communities are holding rides: Renton, Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver and Wenatchee. Ride details can be found here: http://www.rideofsilence.org/locations-domestic.php

Thu May 15 16:12:00 2014 Rick - We putting the word out abut the FW commute station and you'll see our Share the Road/Share the Trail materials on the table. Grab some to share with friends and co-workers!

Thu May 15 15:32:00 2014 Louise,My thanks to BAW. I just saw the note that BAW is co-sponsoring the commute station down my way. Forterra's name stands out the biggest on the flyer, and BAW is to the right with the City of Federal Way and Cascade. Thanks to you all.

Thu May 15 11:35:00 2014 Winter's over and road construction season has begun. Both routes from home to work now have active projects. My primary inbound route includes a wide sidewalk on a 5 lane arterial. That sidewalk was closed, and I had to climb the hill in traffic. I don't mind that so much, but some drivers are going to have to go back to school. It's not safe for two vehicles to occupy the same lane, even if the driver thinks they can both fit (car + bike = 2 vehicles).

Saw lots of bikes on the way home yesterday, and had a chance to mention the NBC to one rider. Went home and printed some business card stock with a reduced image of the NBC postcard from the Marketing Material tab. The print is small and I wish it had better contrast, but it gives me something to hand to folks when I mention the NBC. Maybe it will be a reminder to them to check it out when they get home.

Thu May 15 01:19:00 2014 Another Bike to Work reward is being offered by Grand Central Bakery. Drop in one of their retail locations with your helmet and receive a rustic baguette!http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/locations/

Wed May 14 21:07:00 2014 Starbucks is rewarding riders with a 12 oz 'hand-crafted' beverage on May 17, Bike to Work Day -- at participating locations. Show some bike gear to the barista and claim your beverage.

Wed May 14 20:19:00 2014 Another Bike to Work reward is being offered by Grand Central Bakery. Drop in one of their retail locations with your helmet and receive a rustic baguette!http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/locations/

Wed May 14 18:27:00 2014 And close by in Auburn, Alaska/Horizon Air are hosting a commute station Friday morning. The Cascade listing shows it at the Auburn Sounder station, but I think they moved it during the event last year out to the Interurban trail to catch more riders. Look for it Friday morning, 6-9.

Wed May 14 18:26:00 2014 And... If you're biking in Federal Way on Friday morning, we have what I think is our FIRST commute station. It's hosted by Forterra at the north end of the BPA trail - near the ball fields at Celebration Park, about a block west of Pacific Highway. From the flyer: "Bikers and walkers welcome." Snacks & coffee, plus mechanical support by Phil's Bike Shop. The first one in Federal Way, and it's right on my commute route. Woo hoo!

Wed May 14 16:07:00 2014 Starbucks is rewarding riders with a 12 oz 'hand-crafted' beverage on May 17, Bike to Work Day -- at participating locations. Show some bike gear to the barista and claim your beverage.

Wed May 14 13:27:00 2014 And close by in Auburn, Alaska/Horizon Air are hosting a commute station Friday morning. The Cascade listing shows it at the Auburn Sounder station, but I think they moved it during the event last year out to the Interurban trail to catch more riders. Look for it Friday morning, 6-9.

Wed May 14 13:26:00 2014 And... If you're biking in Federal Way on Friday morning, we have what I think is our FIRST commute station. It's hosted by Forterra at the north end of the BPA trail - near the ball fields at Celebration Park, about a block west of Pacific Highway. From the flyer: "Bikers and walkers welcome." Snacks & coffee, plus mechanical support by Phil's Bike Shop. The first one in Federal Way, and it's right on my commute route. Woo hoo!

Sun May 11 23:07:00 2014 Congrats Eric! We look forward to seeing you at the Ann Ride. Today about 32 riders came out for a ride in rememberance of Ann Weatherill who was killed by an oncoming car on Mother's Day 2004. Today we rode her favorite ride and in her favorite color purple. The Ann Law was passed several years ago which prohibits cars to pass another vehicle when there is an oncoming bicycle, horse rider or pedestrian. Keep on riding and be safe everyone!

Sun May 11 18:07:00 2014 Congrats Eric! We look forward to seeing you at the Ann Ride. Today about 32 riders came out for a ride in rememberance of Ann Weatherill who was killed by an oncoming car on Mother's Day 2004. Today we rode her favorite ride and in her favorite color purple. The Ann Law was passed several years ago which prohibits cars to pass another vehicle when there is an oncoming bicycle, horse rider or pedestrian. Keep on riding and be safe everyone!

Sun May 11 00:40:00 2014 Congratulations to Eric Abbott of Seattle. He is the lucky winner of the Walla Walla Bicycle Weekend raffle. A big thank you to all who participated in the raffle--we raised nearly $1000 from it.

Sat May 10 19:40:00 2014 Congratulations to Eric Abbott of Seattle. He is the lucky winner of the Walla Walla Bicycle Weekend raffle. A big thank you to all who participated in the raffle--we raised nearly $1000 from it.

Wed May 7 17:00:00 2014 May Day ride was a success. I think the registration topped out at 311. Some first-timers said they liked the ride and plan to do it again. I only rode to Wilkerson, which was my goal. Headwinds north from Sumner were tough. It's the first time the 400 ft climb back to Federal Way was more relief than challenge. From the sun and wind to the cool, shady climb on the one-way. Up on the hill, I my legs began complaining. I pedaled the last half mile with my left leg, letting the right one hang free to avoid cramping. We do this for fun. Got over it quickly, but the legs were telling me I was done.

And another note on the ride. Phil always adds his pavement commentary to the climbs. He knows you'll have time to read, and it can take your mind off your legs. That last climb is at least locally known as "Phil's Hill." This year, it is "Lance's Hill." Lance David was a friend of Phil, and the pavement commentary was a remembrance of and memorial to Lance - for us to remember him, and to ride safely.

Wed May 7 12:00:00 2014 May Day ride was a success. I think the registration topped out at 311. Some first-timers said they liked the ride and plan to do it again. I only rode to Wilkerson, which was my goal. Headwinds north from Sumner were tough. It's the first time the 400 ft climb back to Federal Way was more relief than challenge. From the sun and wind to the cool, shady climb on the one-way. Up on the hill, I my legs began complaining. I pedaled the last half mile with my left leg, letting the right one hang free to avoid cramping. We do this for fun. Got over it quickly, but the legs were telling me I was done.

And another note on the ride. Phil always adds his pavement commentary to the climbs. He knows you'll have time to read, and it can take your mind off your legs. That last climb is at least locally known as "Phil's Hill." This year, it is "Lance's Hill." Lance David was a friend of Phil, and the pavement commentary was a remembrance of and memorial to Lance - for us to remember him, and to ride safely.

Tue May 6 19:37:00 2014 Rick: Most groups that organize local challenges are really focused on their events. I think Cascade and other local challenge hosts will encourage their participants to switch over to the National Bike Challenge as the local events wind down.

Tue May 6 18:29:00 2014 Too bad we can't get all the Commute Challenge riders to register and log their miles in NBC, too. There are almost 7500 riders who have already logged over 223,000 miles this May. These are just commute trips, since that's all that counts in the Commute Challenge. Since the Commute Challenge only covers May, it would be great if we could get Cascade to promote the NBC to its Commute Challenge riders.

Tue May 6 14:37:00 2014 Rick: Most groups that organize local challenges are really focused on their events. I think Cascade and other local challenge hosts will encourage their participants to switch over to the National Bike Challenge as the local events wind down.

Tue May 6 13:29:00 2014 Too bad we can't get all the Commute Challenge riders to register and log their miles in NBC, too. There are almost 7500 riders who have already logged over 223,000 miles this May. These are just commute trips, since that's all that counts in the Commute Challenge. Since the Commute Challenge only covers May, it would be great if we could get Cascade to promote the NBC to its Commute Challenge riders.

Sat May 3 20:18:00 2014 I've got a raised veggie bed to dig out, repair and refresh.And then I'll be prepping my bike for Sunday's ride. Front fender is off already. Rear will be coming off, along with any commute related stuff not needed for riding & climbing. And I'll also be removing some of the grit & grime from the most recent rain. The bike should shine on Sunday. I hope I do, too.

Sat May 3 18:11:00 2014 The weekend forecast looks fabulous! What fun things are folks planning to do? I want to spend some time in the garden and take a bike ride along the Alki waterfront for some people watching.

Sat May 3 15:18:00 2014 I've got a raised veggie bed to dig out, repair and refresh.And then I'll be prepping my bike for Sunday's ride. Front fender is off already. Rear will be coming off, along with any commute related stuff not needed for riding & climbing. And I'll also be removing some of the grit & grime from the most recent rain. The bike should shine on Sunday. I hope I do, too.

Sat May 3 13:11:00 2014 The weekend forecast looks fabulous! What fun things are folks planning to do? I want to spend some time in the garden and take a bike ride along the Alki waterfront for some people watching.

Sat May 3 00:04:00 2014 Hey Seattle folks: Drop by the Bicycle Alliance of WA office in Pioneer Square for our open house this evening! Hoist a pint with us as we celebrate Bike Month and National Bike Challenge! https://www.facebook.com/events/624336694262442/

Fri May 2 23:00:00 2014 Luke: Tri-Cities organized a separate Bike Month challenge for May. Not sure if they'll get rolled into this section with the rest of us when their challenge is finished.Rick: Thanks for giving May Day Classic a thumbs up!

Fri May 2 19:04:00 2014 Hey Seattle folks: Drop by the Bicycle Alliance of WA office in Pioneer Square for our open house this evening! Hoist a pint with us as we celebrate Bike Month and National Bike Challenge! https://www.facebook.com/events/624336694262442/

Fri May 2 18:00:00 2014 Luke: Tri-Cities organized a separate Bike Month challenge for May. Not sure if they'll get rolled into this section with the rest of us when their challenge is finished.Rick: Thanks for giving May Day Classic a thumbs up!

Fri May 2 17:05:00 2014 Anybody know why the local page shows 289 WA riders but when you go to the National leaderboard and click on WA it shows 412 riders? Also, I notices that there are some riders that show up in the WA leaderboard within the national WA page but don't show up on the local leaderboard for WA.

Fri May 2 16:47:00 2014 It's not too late to plan to head down to Federal Way on Sunday for the May Day Classic. The ride starts and ends at Phil's Bike Shop. Looks like great riding weather on Sunday.And no, I don't work for Phil's, and I don't get anything for posting this other than perhaps a few more riders to chat with on Sunday. I just think it's a good ride. Part of your $25 registration and any residual funds go to BAW and the Orting Food Bank. Oh, yeah, I forgot. Unicycles ride free. :-)

Fri May 2 12:05:00 2014 Anybody know why the local page shows 289 WA riders but when you go to the National leaderboard and click on WA it shows 412 riders? Also, I notices that there are some riders that show up in the WA leaderboard within the national WA page but don't show up on the local leaderboard for WA.

Fri May 2 11:47:00 2014 It's not too late to plan to head down to Federal Way on Sunday for the May Day Classic. The ride starts and ends at Phil's Bike Shop. Looks like great riding weather on Sunday.And no, I don't work for Phil's, and I don't get anything for posting this other than perhaps a few more riders to chat with on Sunday. I just think it's a good ride. Part of your $25 registration and any residual funds go to BAW and the Orting Food Bank. Oh, yeah, I forgot. Unicycles ride free. :-)

@Luke - I had the privilege last year of riding from Eatonville to Kennewick. Awesome trip and good roads. I would love to get over to Walla Walla this year. Is Hwy 12 OK to ride from Kennewick or should I be looking for other roads?

Wed Apr 30 21:17:00 2014 Can't count last week's Lilac Century mileage, but I'm signed up for three more this season. Hope it warms up in Spokane...I get my newest bike today and I want to go out. 20% chance of rain or SNOW today!?

@Luke - I had the privilege last year of riding from Eatonville to Kennewick. Awesome trip and good roads. I would love to get over to Walla Walla this year. Is Hwy 12 OK to ride from Kennewick or should I be looking for other roads?

Wed Apr 30 16:17:00 2014 Can't count last week's Lilac Century mileage, but I'm signed up for three more this season. Hope it warms up in Spokane...I get my newest bike today and I want to go out. 20% chance of rain or SNOW today!?

Wed Apr 30 04:48:00 2014 I rode my first organized bike ride yesterday, the Lilac City Century Bike Ride. It was a great experience, very well organized, friendly and encouraging people in the ride and along the way. I am happy to be a new member of endurance riding training with my friend for the STP in July.

Tue Apr 29 23:48:00 2014 I rode my first organized bike ride yesterday, the Lilac City Century Bike Ride. It was a great experience, very well organized, friendly and encouraging people in the ride and along the way. I am happy to be a new member of endurance riding training with my friend for the STP in July.

Sun Apr 27 05:41:00 2014 The Walla Walla Weekend raffle prize the Bicyle Alliance is giving to one lucky winner looks great! We'd love to have you all come out to Walla Walla that weekend (June 15th) for the Ann Weatherill Cycling Classic. I'm on the organizing committee for the ride and we are working hard to make sure we have another great ride this year. This year we will be donating $1 from every entrance fee to the Bicycle Alliance.

Sun Apr 27 00:41:00 2014 The Walla Walla Weekend raffle prize the Bicyle Alliance is giving to one lucky winner looks great! We'd love to have you all come out to Walla Walla that weekend (June 15th) for the Ann Weatherill Cycling Classic. I'm on the organizing committee for the ride and we are working hard to make sure we have another great ride this year. This year we will be donating $1 from every entrance fee to the Bicycle Alliance.

Sat Apr 26 16:55:00 2014 @Lanny. I'm not looking forward to "The Wall," and I haven't tackled Phil's Hill since last September -- but I am looking forward to his "Burma Shave" commentary on the pavement to take my mind off the climb. One of the things I like best about this ride is that it starts about 3 miles from home. None of this "drive somewhere to bike" business. I just ride over the the Start and count those miles as part of my ride.

Sat Apr 26 16:46:00 2014 Hip fracture is no fun at all. Fell in a turn on the way to work when the roads seemed OK. I knew about the fall when I looked up from the pavement - it was that quick. Fortunately the break was simple to set & pin, and recovery has gone really well. Still some weakness & stiffness - of which I'm reminded every time I throw my left leg across the the saddle - but it will get better.

Sat Apr 26 11:55:00 2014 @Lanny. I'm not looking forward to "The Wall," and I haven't tackled Phil's Hill since last September -- but I am looking forward to his "Burma Shave" commentary on the pavement to take my mind off the climb. One of the things I like best about this ride is that it starts about 3 miles from home. None of this "drive somewhere to bike" business. I just ride over the the Start and count those miles as part of my ride.

Sat Apr 26 11:46:00 2014 Hip fracture is no fun at all. Fell in a turn on the way to work when the roads seemed OK. I knew about the fall when I looked up from the pavement - it was that quick. Fortunately the break was simple to set & pin, and recovery has gone really well. Still some weakness & stiffness - of which I'm reminded every time I throw my left leg across the the saddle - but it will get better.

Fri Apr 25 17:05:00 2014 Got in my first more-than-10 mile ride of the year with a milk-run up to Tukwila to pick up a ship-to-store order. Good to see that all the parts were working following my December hip fracture. I'm feeling better about the May Day Classic (Federal Way, May 5th).http://philsbikeshop.com/mayday/

Fri Apr 25 12:05:00 2014 Got in my first more-than-10 mile ride of the year with a milk-run up to Tukwila to pick up a ship-to-store order. Good to see that all the parts were working following my December hip fracture. I'm feeling better about the May Day Classic (Federal Way, May 5th).http://philsbikeshop.com/mayday/

Sat Apr 19 16:50:00 2014 Enjoyed some April showers on my ride to work this morning. I'm looking forward to a weekend of cycling with the Tour of Walla Walla stage race this weekend. We'll have Main St open for bicycles only all day on Saturday with kids races in the morning, Parade of Bikes at noon and the criterium in the afternoon. I'm not a racer but I enjoy spectating and volunteering.

Sat Apr 19 11:50:00 2014 Enjoyed some April showers on my ride to work this morning. I'm looking forward to a weekend of cycling with the Tour of Walla Walla stage race this weekend. We'll have Main St open for bicycles only all day on Saturday with kids races in the morning, Parade of Bikes at noon and the criterium in the afternoon. I'm not a racer but I enjoy spectating and volunteering.

Thu Apr 17 23:07:00 2014 Louise,I've registered company teams in both the local Commute Challenge and the NBC. The company also has a year-long fitness/wellness campaign that engages company locations across the country. This year, the NBC just happens to fit into one of the 'promotional time slots' of that year-long event. Because of the timing and the "nation-wide" nature of NBC, our fitness/wellness campaign coordinator is promoting NBC to the local coordinators. Yee-ha! I get more publicity and very likely more company colleagues participating in NBC this year.

Now I just have to remember to purchase my Walla Walla Weekend lottery tickets.

Thu Apr 17 18:09:00 2014 Luke - Wheatlland Wheelers have set the bar--right on!Rick - Local commuter contests are very important and it's important to be involved, so glad to hear you're fielding a team there. If you have team members who don't want to track miles in two places, encourage them to join the National Challenge at the end of May so they can keep that bike mo' going all summer long!Carmen - A team is more than one person, so even a few folks can be a team!Thanks, everyone!

Thu Apr 17 18:07:00 2014 Louise,I've registered company teams in both the local Commute Challenge and the NBC. The company also has a year-long fitness/wellness campaign that engages company locations across the country. This year, the NBC just happens to fit into one of the 'promotional time slots' of that year-long event. Because of the timing and the "nation-wide" nature of NBC, our fitness/wellness campaign coordinator is promoting NBC to the local coordinators. Yee-ha! I get more publicity and very likely more company colleagues participating in NBC this year.

Now I just have to remember to purchase my Walla Walla Weekend lottery tickets.

Thu Apr 17 15:40:00 2014 Would love to get our bike group involved but I don't think enough people want to do this. There are a couple members who have signed up to go at it solo but not enough to represent a team.

Thu Apr 17 13:09:00 2014 Luke - Wheatlland Wheelers have set the bar--right on!Rick - Local commuter contests are very important and it's important to be involved, so glad to hear you're fielding a team there. If you have team members who don't want to track miles in two places, encourage them to join the National Challenge at the end of May so they can keep that bike mo' going all summer long!Carmen - A team is more than one person, so even a few folks can be a team!Thanks, everyone!

Thu Apr 17 10:40:00 2014 Would love to get our bike group involved but I don't think enough people want to do this. There are a couple members who have signed up to go at it solo but not enough to represent a team.

Tue Mar 18 07:14:00 2014 Ah yeah, I think Gene actually gets credit for the link but whatever. As long as you got it now Carmen. There is a 2012 page and a 2013 page. Maybe you were stuck on the 2012 page which is over and I believe wouldn't let you create a team.

Tue Mar 18 03:14:00 2014 Ah yeah, I think Gene actually gets credit for the link but whatever. As long as you got it now Carmen. There is a 2012 page and a 2013 page. Maybe you were stuck on the 2012 page which is over and I believe wouldn't let you create a team.

Tue Mar 18 03:02:00 2014 Thanks for the link Brian. It is the only way I am able to get to that section. Sorry Gene, but when I try to follow your suggestion I can't seem to have it show me 2013, only 2012. It doesn't even show an option for it. All it good now that I bookmarked the link.

Stepanie/Carmen FYi: I still don't know why the toolbar doesn't appear on one of my PC's but you can get to the leaderboard directly by entering the link below. That will allow you to at least connect to Communities. Don't know how to create a team though.

Mon Mar 17 23:02:00 2014 Thanks for the link Brian. It is the only way I am able to get to that section. Sorry Gene, but when I try to follow your suggestion I can't seem to have it show me 2013, only 2012. It doesn't even show an option for it. All it good now that I bookmarked the link.

Stepanie/Carmen FYi: I still don't know why the toolbar doesn't appear on one of my PC's but you can get to the leaderboard directly by entering the link below. That will allow you to at least connect to Communities. Don't know how to create a team though.

Sun Mar 16 16:25:00 2014 Stepanie/Carmen - As Brian P states "click Leaderboard. Then Local or National" at the top of the page. Then we can click on "Communities" to see where riders are from. I'm able to do that on my home PC. It magically appeared when I logged in.

HOWEVER, I don't have the same "menu/toolbar" on my work PC. Haven't figured out yet why the two PC's treat the NBC link differently. I expect this will all clear up by the time the warmup is done but I'll keep looking.

Sun Mar 16 12:25:00 2014 Stepanie/Carmen - As Brian P states "click Leaderboard. Then Local or National" at the top of the page. Then we can click on "Communities" to see where riders are from. I'm able to do that on my home PC. It magically appeared when I logged in.

HOWEVER, I don't have the same "menu/toolbar" on my work PC. Haven't figured out yet why the two PC's treat the NBC link differently. I expect this will all clear up by the time the warmup is done but I'll keep looking.

Sat Mar 8 00:44:00 2014 Luke, I think between us we should be able to get quite a few BABR people to join. We'll have to bring it up on the ride coming up on the 19th. Quite the miles packed in already I see. I'm only at around 165 miles this year, but it's more than this time last year. Looking forward to the next two seasons of riding.

Fri Mar 7 19:44:00 2014 Luke, I think between us we should be able to get quite a few BABR people to join. We'll have to bring it up on the ride coming up on the 19th. Quite the miles packed in already I see. I'm only at around 165 miles this year, but it's more than this time last year. Looking forward to the next two seasons of riding.

Thu Mar 6 20:12:00 2014 I hope everyone had a nice off-season (if you had one) and are ready to Ride More in 2013. I know I am. I have already logged 326 miles this year as oppose to last year at this time when I had ZERO. Ride safe everyone.

Thu Mar 6 15:12:00 2014 I hope everyone had a nice off-season (if you had one) and are ready to Ride More in 2013. I know I am. I have already logged 326 miles this year as oppose to last year at this time when I had ZERO. Ride safe everyone.

Wed Mar 5 22:29:00 2014 I just signed up. They just started a new wellness program at Key and are aware of the challenge. There are a few Wheatland Wheeler types here that do 50+ mile rides on the weekends, but I'd like to see the dozen regular guys who commute every day sign up.

Wed Mar 5 17:29:00 2014 I just signed up. They just started a new wellness program at Key and are aware of the challenge. There are a few Wheatland Wheeler types here that do 50+ mile rides on the weekends, but I'd like to see the dozen regular guys who commute every day sign up.

Wed Mar 5 16:59:00 2014 We had a full page feature on it in our county employees news letter that came out yesterday. I'm working with the special projects coordinator at the health dept to promote this with local businesses as part of their wellness programs. And I got support from the leadership of the Wheatland Wheelers club and they will promote this event as well. And Carmen, between you and I we should be able to get more participation from the BABR crew. Watch out Tri-cities, we're coming for you! :)

Wed Mar 5 11:59:00 2014 We had a full page feature on it in our county employees news letter that came out yesterday. I'm working with the special projects coordinator at the health dept to promote this with local businesses as part of their wellness programs. And I got support from the leadership of the Wheatland Wheelers club and they will promote this event as well. And Carmen, between you and I we should be able to get more participation from the BABR crew. Watch out Tri-cities, we're coming for you! :)

Fri Nov 8 22:32:00 2013 Luke,Just read about Bicycle Benefits. Doesn't look to be of much use to me here in Federal Way. Nothing in Tacoma, and I don't get to Seattle often on my bike - particularly to bars, which seem to dominate the list. My Cascade and LAB membership cards are more useful to me here - at least with my bike mechanic. He often gives me a discount that he attributes to 'frequent buyer' or whatever bike clubs/associations I'm a member of.

Fri Nov 8 17:32:00 2013 Luke,Just read about Bicycle Benefits. Doesn't look to be of much use to me here in Federal Way. Nothing in Tacoma, and I don't get to Seattle often on my bike - particularly to bars, which seem to dominate the list. My Cascade and LAB membership cards are more useful to me here - at least with my bike mechanic. He often gives me a discount that he attributes to 'frequent buyer' or whatever bike clubs/associations I'm a member of.

Sat Oct 12 01:33:00 2013 For Washington bike commuters (and other non-drive-alone modes), RideShareOnline is having its semi-annual Wheel Options campaign. Log commutes via eligible modes 6 times during in the month of October and be eligible in prize drawings. Grand prize is a trip to Hawaii.Now why am I telling you this and diluting the odds of my winning the Hawaii trip. Just don't know any better, I guess.http://wheeloptions.icarpool.comorhttp://rideshareonline.com

Fri Oct 11 20:33:00 2013 For Washington bike commuters (and other non-drive-alone modes), RideShareOnline is having its semi-annual Wheel Options campaign. Log commutes via eligible modes 6 times during in the month of October and be eligible in prize drawings. Grand prize is a trip to Hawaii.Now why am I telling you this and diluting the odds of my winning the Hawaii trip. Just don't know any better, I guess.http://wheeloptions.icarpool.comorhttp://rideshareonline.com

Thu Sep 26 16:49:00 2013 @Louise, Thanks for attending the Dome to Defiance event on behalf of BicycleAlliance. The route was so good I rode through it twice. Good to meet you and chat and glad to have an opportunity to thank you for your updates and links on the NBC. I really enjoyed the fully loaded sweet potato from the Caveman and the cake from Celebrity Cake Studio. A great time in spite of the rain.

Thu Sep 26 11:49:00 2013 @Louise, Thanks for attending the Dome to Defiance event on behalf of BicycleAlliance. The route was so good I rode through it twice. Good to meet you and chat and glad to have an opportunity to thank you for your updates and links on the NBC. I really enjoyed the fully loaded sweet potato from the Caveman and the cake from Celebrity Cake Studio. A great time in spite of the rain.

Mon Sep 23 06:06:00 2013 About poor forecasts - today was supposed to be socked in with rain all day. Looked out this afternoon and there was the sun. Got in a brief ride (only 5 miles) before the rain clouds sent me back to the house. Not that I won't ride in the rain; just not today.

Mon Sep 23 06:01:00 2013 Thankful for poor weather forecasts. Saturday was supposed to be a washout. Instead, I got to ride the Iron Horse Trail from Cedar Falls to Hayak and back. Overcast going up, but beautiful blue skies and white, puffy clouds on the way down. And a great group of folks to ride with. It was one of the Cascade "daily ride" series.

Mon Sep 23 01:06:00 2013 About poor forecasts - today was supposed to be socked in with rain all day. Looked out this afternoon and there was the sun. Got in a brief ride (only 5 miles) before the rain clouds sent me back to the house. Not that I won't ride in the rain; just not today.

Mon Sep 23 01:01:00 2013 Thankful for poor weather forecasts. Saturday was supposed to be a washout. Instead, I got to ride the Iron Horse Trail from Cedar Falls to Hayak and back. Overcast going up, but beautiful blue skies and white, puffy clouds on the way down. And a great group of folks to ride with. It was one of the Cascade "daily ride" series.

Sat Sep 21 00:59:00 2013 On the plus side, today we met with the chair of the Land Use and Transportation committee that will have to buy in to our plan before it goes to Council for approval, and he is very supportive. We'll keep this ball rollin'

Fri Sep 20 19:59:00 2013 On the plus side, today we met with the chair of the Land Use and Transportation committee that will have to buy in to our plan before it goes to Council for approval, and he is very supportive. We'll keep this ball rollin'

Thu Sep 19 01:43:00 2013 Thanks to all of you who responded to my call for Likes for our grant funding project. The final tally isn't in, but I believe we fell a few votes shy of winning the challenge. Even so, your support is encouragement as we continue to work to make Federal Way a friendlier, safer place for pedestrians and cyclists.

Wed Sep 18 20:43:00 2013 Thanks to all of you who responded to my call for Likes for our grant funding project. The final tally isn't in, but I believe we fell a few votes shy of winning the challenge. Even so, your support is encouragement as we continue to work to make Federal Way a friendlier, safer place for pedestrians and cyclists.

Wed Sep 18 20:40:00 2013 One last plea for support in our quest to win a $1000 grant to support our efforts to get greenways and other improvements to safety for walkers and cyclists in Federal Way. The link is in my message below, so I won't repeat it here. We're in second place right now and within about a dozen votes of the lead. Your vote matters, and I will appreciate it. If you've already responded, I really do thank you. Ride safe, and ride often!

Wed Sep 18 15:40:00 2013 One last plea for support in our quest to win a $1000 grant to support our efforts to get greenways and other improvements to safety for walkers and cyclists in Federal Way. The link is in my message below, so I won't repeat it here. We're in second place right now and within about a dozen votes of the lead. Your vote matters, and I will appreciate it. If you've already responded, I really do thank you. Ride safe, and ride often!

Sun Sep 15 01:45:00 2013 @Luke - I just looked at the Walla Walla weekend and it sounds great. Unfortunately, I suspect I'll be busy with other activities then. One reason I've had time for the rides this weekend is that I'm 'home alone.' My wife is back in the southeast visiting family. I keep trying to get her comfortable enough on a bike to join me on events like this. It's a slow process.

Sun Sep 15 01:27:00 2013 Safer communities for human-powered transportation. Safe routes to school & local shopping. Yes this is a reminder of my blatant request for Facebook Likes for our Federal Way Biking project posting on the Weyerhaeuser making WAVEs Facebook page. We're trying to win a $1000 grant to help support our efforts for the first Federal Way greenway (aka bike boulevards). Although the actual expenses for greenways implementation will likely come from city funds or other grant processes, this grant would help fund outreach and advocacy efforts, If you would like to support our cause, please go to the WYmakingWAVES page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/WYMakingWAVES, find the posting from Brent Frandsen that includes the Federal Way Biking video, and 'Like' it.The deadline is Sept 18. Thanks for your support.

Sun Sep 15 01:18:00 2013 Rode my first "Cascade Daily Rides" yesterday and today. Yesterday was a 40 mile "7 cities tour" with a 2100' of climbing, Good ride and good conversation. Today was a flat, 38 mile ride from Renton to Alki and back - coffee & pastry run. Another fun ride albeit at a slower pace. Another Cascade Ride Leader qualified. Both rides had about 15 riders. Two of the riders today were from Portland. They were here visiting their son/daughyer. If the weather holds, I plan to ride the Renton to Black Diamond Bakery run with another Cascade group.

Sat Sep 14 20:45:00 2013 @Luke - I just looked at the Walla Walla weekend and it sounds great. Unfortunately, I suspect I'll be busy with other activities then. One reason I've had time for the rides this weekend is that I'm 'home alone.' My wife is back in the southeast visiting family. I keep trying to get her comfortable enough on a bike to join me on events like this. It's a slow process.

Sat Sep 14 20:27:00 2013 Safer communities for human-powered transportation. Safe routes to school & local shopping. Yes this is a reminder of my blatant request for Facebook Likes for our Federal Way Biking project posting on the Weyerhaeuser making WAVEs Facebook page. We're trying to win a $1000 grant to help support our efforts for the first Federal Way greenway (aka bike boulevards). Although the actual expenses for greenways implementation will likely come from city funds or other grant processes, this grant would help fund outreach and advocacy efforts, If you would like to support our cause, please go to the WYmakingWAVES page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/WYMakingWAVES, find the posting from Brent Frandsen that includes the Federal Way Biking video, and 'Like' it.The deadline is Sept 18. Thanks for your support.

Sat Sep 14 20:18:00 2013 Rode my first "Cascade Daily Rides" yesterday and today. Yesterday was a 40 mile "7 cities tour" with a 2100' of climbing, Good ride and good conversation. Today was a flat, 38 mile ride from Renton to Alki and back - coffee & pastry run. Another fun ride albeit at a slower pace. Another Cascade Ride Leader qualified. Both rides had about 15 riders. Two of the riders today were from Portland. They were here visiting their son/daughyer. If the weather holds, I plan to ride the Renton to Black Diamond Bakery run with another Cascade group.

There are a couple of ways to let the governor know what you think. At this link http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.aspORHe’s also hosting a Twitter town hall Thursday (Sept. 12) on @GovInslee from 10–11 a.m. He will be using the hashtag #ResultsWA.

Bicycling and bicycle infrastructure could definitely have an impact on goals 2-4.

There are a couple of ways to let the governor know what you think. At this link http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.aspORHe’s also hosting a Twitter town hall Thursday (Sept. 12) on @GovInslee from 10–11 a.m. He will be using the hashtag #ResultsWA.

Bicycling and bicycle infrastructure could definitely have an impact on goals 2-4.

Thu Sep 5 21:20:00 2013 A blatant request for support. My company's volunteer grant program is holding a "Volunteer Champions Challenge" contest. The prize is $1000 for the non-profit or eligible governmental entity of the winning entrant's choice. As shown in the video that Joshua Putnam posted a few days ago, several of us are working to get the first greenway (also called 'bike boulevard') established in one of the residential areas of Federal Way. This first greenway will link people in the Twin Lakes neighborhood to schools, parks, and shopping along a route with signs and pavement markings indicating its shared usage by bikes, pedestrians and cars. If you might be inclined to support our cause, please go to the WYmakingWAVES page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/WYMakingWAVES, find the posting from Brent Frandsen that includes the Federal Way Biking video, and 'Like' it. The posting with the most "Likes" by 9/18 wins the grant. And you may find the post in one of two places on the page. "LIke" either one and your vote will count. The grant could help us make progress toward making our community more "friendly" to human powered transportation. And thanks for your support.

Thu Sep 5 16:20:00 2013 A blatant request for support. My company's volunteer grant program is holding a "Volunteer Champions Challenge" contest. The prize is $1000 for the non-profit or eligible governmental entity of the winning entrant's choice. As shown in the video that Joshua Putnam posted a few days ago, several of us are working to get the first greenway (also called 'bike boulevard') established in one of the residential areas of Federal Way. This first greenway will link people in the Twin Lakes neighborhood to schools, parks, and shopping along a route with signs and pavement markings indicating its shared usage by bikes, pedestrians and cars. If you might be inclined to support our cause, please go to the WYmakingWAVES page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/WYMakingWAVES, find the posting from Brent Frandsen that includes the Federal Way Biking video, and 'Like' it. The posting with the most "Likes" by 9/18 wins the grant. And you may find the post in one of two places on the page. "LIke" either one and your vote will count. The grant could help us make progress toward making our community more "friendly" to human powered transportation. And thanks for your support.

Fri Aug 23 23:08:00 2013 Totally with you Louise... though I have a set of wreath lights wrapped around my frame -- it's fun to be able to use them again (since they're basically invisible in summer sun. :-)

Fri Aug 23 18:08:00 2013 Totally with you Louise... though I have a set of wreath lights wrapped around my frame -- it's fun to be able to use them again (since they're basically invisible in summer sun. :-)

Thu Aug 22 03:59:00 2013 LOL. Did I miss something here? This is for fun, right?! Ride more. Stalk the stats less. As far as the possibility of riding those miles...I am a 61 year old lady who rode mileages like that on a cross country bike tour this spring. I am not fast but I'm steady. If I hadn't had to come back to reality (work, family) I'd still be doing it. Ride! Enjoy! Be safe! It's all good!

Wed Aug 21 22:59:00 2013 LOL. Did I miss something here? This is for fun, right?! Ride more. Stalk the stats less. As far as the possibility of riding those miles...I am a 61 year old lady who rode mileages like that on a cross country bike tour this spring. I am not fast but I'm steady. If I hadn't had to come back to reality (work, family) I'd still be doing it. Ride! Enjoy! Be safe! It's all good!

Wed Aug 21 01:58:00 2013 I'm not sure now if Chris is "No Name Provided" or not. If it's not Chris, I apologize to Chris for aiming my earlier remarks at him.

To "No Name Provided" - Long Puget Sound summer days are plenty of time for work and 75 to 100 miles of riding -- when one is accustomed to it, and 40+ miles of that are along a relatively flat valley in place of a car commute. Two 1/2 hours for the commute and a 2-4 hour recreational ride before or after, perhaps with friends in a paceline to get the speed up in the 20's. That's not out of the question, even with a normal workday here in the summer. As to whether or not someone can keep up that pace over time, it looks totally reasonable to me for someone well conditioned to riding. Even I can do back-to-back centuries, at a decent pace, if the terrain is not too challenging. I managed 16.2 mph on both days of the STP and went back to my commute ride the following Monday. I didn't ride a pace line, my steel touring steed is no lightweight, and I'm no athlete. I have no reason to question John's mileage log.

Tue Aug 20 20:58:00 2013 I'm not sure now if Chris is "No Name Provided" or not. If it's not Chris, I apologize to Chris for aiming my earlier remarks at him.

To "No Name Provided" - Long Puget Sound summer days are plenty of time for work and 75 to 100 miles of riding -- when one is accustomed to it, and 40+ miles of that are along a relatively flat valley in place of a car commute. Two 1/2 hours for the commute and a 2-4 hour recreational ride before or after, perhaps with friends in a paceline to get the speed up in the 20's. That's not out of the question, even with a normal workday here in the summer. As to whether or not someone can keep up that pace over time, it looks totally reasonable to me for someone well conditioned to riding. Even I can do back-to-back centuries, at a decent pace, if the terrain is not too challenging. I managed 16.2 mph on both days of the STP and went back to my commute ride the following Monday. I didn't ride a pace line, my steel touring steed is no lightweight, and I'm no athlete. I have no reason to question John's mileage log.

Tue Aug 20 17:03:00 2013 @Chris - At first I thought you were praising John's achievements, but now I'm not so sure. In case you were questioning the validity of his mileage claims, I'll tell you what I think I know. John is a member of Sterna Paradisea, a team that participates regularly in the Commute Challenge in May each year. Those guys are hard-core riders, logging high mileage each year. If John says he rides 500 miles/week, I believe him. He has a 40 mile round trip commute that he rides, so like me, he spends his getting to/from work time on a bike instead of in a car, probably 2 1/2 hours. He rides for fun before or after that. He rides long distances for fun or exercise on weekends and days off. Some people fish, some people play golf, and some ride bikes. And for some people, a 200km bike ride is just getting started. John is clearly a cyclist. I'm working my way in that direction, but I'm a bit older and starting later. Getting in two or thee more 50+ mile rides during this year's NBC would be an achievement. I know there are plenty of high-mileage cyclists out there in Washington. I just wish we had more of them, as well as more of the rest of us, signed up and logging miles in the NBC.

Tue Aug 20 15:36:00 2013 @Gene - total honor system in play on this site. 500+ a week and peak weeks at 750? Someone went to Hempfest if they expect me to believe that nonsense...

Tue Aug 20 12:03:00 2013 @Chris - At first I thought you were praising John's achievements, but now I'm not so sure. In case you were questioning the validity of his mileage claims, I'll tell you what I think I know. John is a member of Sterna Paradisea, a team that participates regularly in the Commute Challenge in May each year. Those guys are hard-core riders, logging high mileage each year. If John says he rides 500 miles/week, I believe him. He has a 40 mile round trip commute that he rides, so like me, he spends his getting to/from work time on a bike instead of in a car, probably 2 1/2 hours. He rides for fun before or after that. He rides long distances for fun or exercise on weekends and days off. Some people fish, some people play golf, and some ride bikes. And for some people, a 200km bike ride is just getting started. John is clearly a cyclist. I'm working my way in that direction, but I'm a bit older and starting later. Getting in two or thee more 50+ mile rides during this year's NBC would be an achievement. I know there are plenty of high-mileage cyclists out there in Washington. I just wish we had more of them, as well as more of the rest of us, signed up and logging miles in the NBC.

Tue Aug 20 10:36:00 2013 @Gene - total honor system in play on this site. 500+ a week and peak weeks at 750? Someone went to Hempfest if they expect me to believe that nonsense...

Tue Aug 20 04:44:00 2013 @Chris, Rhetorical question? Or do you really want to know if I have ever tried riding 500+ miles a week? Considering I'm averaging 12 mph this month, 500+ would be like working a second full-time job. Yes, John is a stud.

Mon Aug 19 23:44:00 2013 @Chris, Rhetorical question? Or do you really want to know if I have ever tried riding 500+ miles a week? Considering I'm averaging 12 mph this month, 500+ would be like working a second full-time job. Yes, John is a stud.

Mon Aug 19 23:43:00 2013 @Gene - you ever try riding 500+ miles a week...every week? He must be a stallion. Riding 5+ hours each day and working full time. Wow thats gotta be tough.

Thu Aug 15 00:47:00 2013 @Louise - I've made a couple of posts on the national blog about improving outreach for next year's challenge. I don't recall having seen anything in Bicycle Paper promoting the NBC, although they are listed as a sponsor here on the WA page. I just searched the BP web page for "National Bike Challenge," but didn't get any meaningful hits. Did I miss something, or is this an opportunity for next year?

Wed Aug 14 19:47:00 2013 @Louise - I've made a couple of posts on the national blog about improving outreach for next year's challenge. I don't recall having seen anything in Bicycle Paper promoting the NBC, although they are listed as a sponsor here on the WA page. I just searched the BP web page for "National Bike Challenge," but didn't get any meaningful hits. Did I miss something, or is this an opportunity for next year?

Sun Aug 11 22:23:00 2013 Hey, Lanny! Good job raising funds for any of these great causes. I never expected to be able to ride the Courage Classic but my workplace decided to have a team and I got to be part of it. Is MS Bike America the ride out of Mount Vernon?

Sun Aug 11 17:23:00 2013 Hey, Lanny! Good job raising funds for any of these great causes. I never expected to be able to ride the Courage Classic but my workplace decided to have a team and I got to be part of it. Is MS Bike America the ride out of Mount Vernon?

Fri Aug 9 23:14:00 2013 @Gene. Great job on the completing the Courage Classic. I've heard nothing but good things about the event and it's one ride I would like to participate in. However, my fundraising is tied up for the MS Bike America. How was the root beer float?

Fri Aug 9 18:14:00 2013 @Gene. Great job on the completing the Courage Classic. I've heard nothing but good things about the event and it's one ride I would like to participate in. However, my fundraising is tied up for the MS Bike America. How was the root beer float?

Mon Jul 29 21:18:00 2013 CitiBikes are *very* convenient (many, many locations Midtown, Lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn) and comfort is pretty good, too. With 40-pound heft, only 3 speeds, and a generator hub, performance leaves something to be desired! But just fine for getting from here to there.

Mon Jul 29 18:44:00 2013 Hi Tina: There is bike safety education happening in many (but not all) of the schools in our state through Safe Routes to School programs. Driver's license manual includes info on how a motorist can safely interact with bicyclists and pedestrians AND there are questions about it on the driver's test. And driver's ed programs includes a curriculum module on driving safely around pedestrians and bicyclists - provided by the Bicycle Alliance of WA. Many of us share your frustration with the scofflaws.

Mon Jul 29 16:18:00 2013 CitiBikes are *very* convenient (many, many locations Midtown, Lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn) and comfort is pretty good, too. With 40-pound heft, only 3 speeds, and a generator hub, performance leaves something to be desired! But just fine for getting from here to there.

Mon Jul 29 15:12:00 2013 Attached the trailer to my bike and went ot the grocery store. Added extra miles.. Other than Drivers acting like they were self entitled to speed by and turn in front of me. All was ok. The street I was on had no bike lanes so I used the Sidewalk. There is no other safe way to get to this store.The rest of the time I used the Interurban trail and a roads with bike lanes. I know ther is no drivers Ed now in Schools. Why is there no Bicycle education. Why isn't a part of the drivers test. I mean this for Both Sides. Cause I am also seeing plenty of bad Bicycle Riding as well. Amazing..

Mon Jul 29 13:44:00 2013 Hi Tina: There is bike safety education happening in many (but not all) of the schools in our state through Safe Routes to School programs. Driver's license manual includes info on how a motorist can safely interact with bicyclists and pedestrians AND there are questions about it on the driver's test. And driver's ed programs includes a curriculum module on driving safely around pedestrians and bicyclists - provided by the Bicycle Alliance of WA. Many of us share your frustration with the scofflaws.

Mon Jul 29 10:12:00 2013 Attached the trailer to my bike and went ot the grocery store. Added extra miles.. Other than Drivers acting like they were self entitled to speed by and turn in front of me. All was ok. The street I was on had no bike lanes so I used the Sidewalk. There is no other safe way to get to this store.The rest of the time I used the Interurban trail and a roads with bike lanes. I know ther is no drivers Ed now in Schools. Why is there no Bicycle education. Why isn't a part of the drivers test. I mean this for Both Sides. Cause I am also seeing plenty of bad Bicycle Riding as well. Amazing..

Fri Jul 26 17:30:00 2013 Last night I attended a neighborhood bike ride & meeting here in Federal Way. We're starting a project to get the first neighborhood greenway funded here in Federal Way. Small group for now, but lots of energy. We'll be reaching out to the target community for input on the route detail and to get them energized to help seek funding.

Fri Jul 26 12:30:00 2013 Last night I attended a neighborhood bike ride & meeting here in Federal Way. We're starting a project to get the first neighborhood greenway funded here in Federal Way. Small group for now, but lots of energy. We'll be reaching out to the target community for input on the route detail and to get them energized to help seek funding.

Thu Jul 25 22:50:00 2013 This past Saturday was the Chafe 150 in Sandpoint, ID. I participated for the first time. Such a beautiful route! It was very hot and I made the decision to call it a day at the 102 mile food stop since I was feeling very overheated and did not want to experience a heat illness. Then I was off to Seattle on Sunday for 3 days of training for work but was on foot with no bicycle. It was nice to be back home and ride to work this morning!

Thu Jul 25 17:50:00 2013 This past Saturday was the Chafe 150 in Sandpoint, ID. I participated for the first time. Such a beautiful route! It was very hot and I made the decision to call it a day at the 102 mile food stop since I was feeling very overheated and did not want to experience a heat illness. Then I was off to Seattle on Sunday for 3 days of training for work but was on foot with no bicycle. It was nice to be back home and ride to work this morning!

Thu Jul 25 17:41:00 2013 STP was a lot of fun this year. Great weather, and overnighted at the home of a friend I hadn't seen since he retired 6 years ago. Great things can happen when bikes are involved.

Thu Jul 25 12:41:00 2013 STP was a lot of fun this year. Great weather, and overnighted at the home of a friend I hadn't seen since he retired 6 years ago. Great things can happen when bikes are involved.

Wed Jul 24 17:50:00 2013 This past Saturday was the Chafe 150 in Sandpoint, ID. I participated for the first time. Such a beautiful route! It was very hot and I made the decision to call it a day at the 102 mile food stop since I was feeling very overheated and did not want to experience a heat illness. Then I was off to Seattle on Sunday for 3 days of training for work but was on foot with no bicycle. It was nice to be back home and ride to work this morning!

Wed Jul 24 12:41:00 2013 STP was a lot of fun this year. Great weather, and overnighted at the home of a friend I hadn't seen since he retired 6 years ago. Great things can happen when bikes are involved.

Mon Jul 15 23:29:00 2013 More rides to go. Next planned "non-commute" ride is up to see the surgeon who fixed my hip fracture in December. I think this is my last follow-up visit, and I thought it would send a good message about my recovery if I were to show up on bike. Weather's forecast to be really nice, so I'll take the afternoon off and ride.

Mon Jul 15 20:22:00 2013 For all you STP riders who completed the task in one or two days, my hat is off to you all. However, the cycling season is far from over! No hanging up the bikes yet. Get out there and ride hard/ride safe.

Mon Jul 15 18:29:00 2013 More rides to go. Next planned "non-commute" ride is up to see the surgeon who fixed my hip fracture in December. I think this is my last follow-up visit, and I thought it would send a good message about my recovery if I were to show up on bike. Weather's forecast to be really nice, so I'll take the afternoon off and ride.

Mon Jul 15 17:46:00 2013 One more STP story. Don't 'short' red lights. Just don't. I was rolling up eastbound behind a group on Sunday at a stop light along a stretch of Highway 30 in Oregon. A westbound car turned left in front of us. This was not a really long light, given it was on the intersection of a major highway and a cross road. But it looked too long to some, and since there were no conflicting vehicles in sight, 3 guys the front of the group jumped the light before it turned green. There was a patrol car sitting off to our right watching it all. Lights flashed and the chase was short. Patrolman and cyclists and bikes were off to the side of the road for a little traffic law education. Somehow I don't think those guys made up any time at all by jumping the light early. They may have even gotten the opportunity to contribute to the local government's income.

Mon Jul 15 17:39:00 2013 Thanks, Luke. There were some mishaps on the STP, but I wasn't one of them, other than a little red skin that I missed with the sunscreen, and almost unavoidable "butt-burn" from chip-seal & rough concrete. There were some glorious stretches of smooth asphalt. I think I could have ridden 150 in a day this weekend, although I probably would have been spent. For encouragement, note that I rode for a while with a woman who had only been riding since last August - and she had signed on with more experienced friends to ride the first 150 of the STP on Saturday. When I left them at what was 120 miles for them, she was still riding strong - not as fast as her friends would have ridden on their own, but she was a valiant rider, given her level of experience. I think you'll do fine. A lot of it is just a head game.

Mon Jul 15 17:38:00 2013 PIcked up a summer cold overnight Friday, so I started the STP with a cough & scratchy throat. Not enough to keep me from the ride. And it was great fun. Pure Pacific NW summer. Ran into a friend who got a last minute registration, and we rode together for a while on Sat & Sun. Also rode with a small band of mostly Cascade ride leaders for my last 20 miles on Saturday.

My meager weight loss attempts didn't yield much this year, but Wilma (my bike) had more success on her diet - lighter rims & tires, and loss of stem bag, rack trunk and associated rack. She just kept wanting to go faster and shed her heavy touring, commuter reputation. Surprised myself with 16.1 mph (while riding) for the 100 on Sat & 16.2 for the 80 miles on Sunday. Had I stopped at 70, Sunday's ride would have been 16.5. Traffic & congestion in Portland slowed things down near the finish line.

I had a great time Saturday night & Sunday morning visiting a retired work colleague on his 42 acre farm. great to reconnect - and that big hunk of salmon Sat. night was a good refuel for Sunday.

I'll post the ride to the NBC, but I didn't log it with Endomondo. My poor Android overheats and runs out of battery in as little as 40 mi., so I logged the ride with my new low end Garmin.

Mon Jul 15 15:22:00 2013 For all you STP riders who completed the task in one or two days, my hat is off to you all. However, the cycling season is far from over! No hanging up the bikes yet. Get out there and ride hard/ride safe.

Mon Jul 15 12:46:00 2013 One more STP story. Don't 'short' red lights. Just don't. I was rolling up eastbound behind a group on Sunday at a stop light along a stretch of Highway 30 in Oregon. A westbound car turned left in front of us. This was not a really long light, given it was on the intersection of a major highway and a cross road. But it looked too long to some, and since there were no conflicting vehicles in sight, 3 guys the front of the group jumped the light before it turned green. There was a patrol car sitting off to our right watching it all. Lights flashed and the chase was short. Patrolman and cyclists and bikes were off to the side of the road for a little traffic law education. Somehow I don't think those guys made up any time at all by jumping the light early. They may have even gotten the opportunity to contribute to the local government's income.

Mon Jul 15 12:39:00 2013 Thanks, Luke. There were some mishaps on the STP, but I wasn't one of them, other than a little red skin that I missed with the sunscreen, and almost unavoidable "butt-burn" from chip-seal & rough concrete. There were some glorious stretches of smooth asphalt. I think I could have ridden 150 in a day this weekend, although I probably would have been spent. For encouragement, note that I rode for a while with a woman who had only been riding since last August - and she had signed on with more experienced friends to ride the first 150 of the STP on Saturday. When I left them at what was 120 miles for them, she was still riding strong - not as fast as her friends would have ridden on their own, but she was a valiant rider, given her level of experience. I think you'll do fine. A lot of it is just a head game.

Mon Jul 15 12:38:00 2013 PIcked up a summer cold overnight Friday, so I started the STP with a cough & scratchy throat. Not enough to keep me from the ride. And it was great fun. Pure Pacific NW summer. Ran into a friend who got a last minute registration, and we rode together for a while on Sat & Sun. Also rode with a small band of mostly Cascade ride leaders for my last 20 miles on Saturday.

My meager weight loss attempts didn't yield much this year, but Wilma (my bike) had more success on her diet - lighter rims & tires, and loss of stem bag, rack trunk and associated rack. She just kept wanting to go faster and shed her heavy touring, commuter reputation. Surprised myself with 16.1 mph (while riding) for the 100 on Sat & 16.2 for the 80 miles on Sunday. Had I stopped at 70, Sunday's ride would have been 16.5. Traffic & congestion in Portland slowed things down near the finish line.

I had a great time Saturday night & Sunday morning visiting a retired work colleague on his 42 acre farm. great to reconnect - and that big hunk of salmon Sat. night was a good refuel for Sunday.

I'll post the ride to the NBC, but I didn't log it with Endomondo. My poor Android overheats and runs out of battery in as little as 40 mi., so I logged the ride with my new low end Garmin.

Sat Jul 13 05:21:00 2013 Rick, wishing you and the other 9,999 riders a safe ride this weekend. I'll be heading up to Sandpoint, Idaho next weekend for the Chafe 150. I'm feeling a bit nervous since it will be my longest 1 day ride ever.

Sat Jul 13 00:21:00 2013 Rick, wishing you and the other 9,999 riders a safe ride this weekend. I'll be heading up to Sandpoint, Idaho next weekend for the Chafe 150. I'm feeling a bit nervous since it will be my longest 1 day ride ever.

Thu Jul 11 18:19:00 2013 Riding the short STP this year - starting from home and joining the throng on West Valley for about 180 total miles . Its a long carbon-spewing trip to the starting line from the Pierce county line just to transport a bike. Overnighting at a friend's house south of the midpoint, so it should be a fun weekend.

Working on Platinum, Diamond's gonna be tough unless I up my game. But that is as it should be.

Thu Jul 11 13:19:00 2013 Riding the short STP this year - starting from home and joining the throng on West Valley for about 180 total miles . Its a long carbon-spewing trip to the starting line from the Pierce county line just to transport a bike. Overnighting at a friend's house south of the midpoint, so it should be a fun weekend.

Working on Platinum, Diamond's gonna be tough unless I up my game. But that is as it should be.

Tue Jul 9 20:18:00 2013 624 registered riders and only 493 logging any miles during the challenge period. Come on, folks. Where are all those rabid WA cyclists? I'm handing out cards at bike shops and to riders I meet on the road. Where is everyone? There'll be 10,000 of us on the road between Seattle & Portland on Saturday, and the vast majority are probably from this state, right? OK, gotta make more cards to hand out this weekend.

Tue Jul 9 15:18:00 2013 624 registered riders and only 493 logging any miles during the challenge period. Come on, folks. Where are all those rabid WA cyclists? I'm handing out cards at bike shops and to riders I meet on the road. Where is everyone? There'll be 10,000 of us on the road between Seattle & Portland on Saturday, and the vast majority are probably from this state, right? OK, gotta make more cards to hand out this weekend.

Thu Jul 4 05:10:00 2013 Added bonus of riding a bike is the things you find that you would normally not see while driving. Such as finding a steel trowel yesterday and $2 this morning. Although the $2 makes up for the coffee I spilled on my morning commute yesterday.

Thu Jul 4 00:10:00 2013 Added bonus of riding a bike is the things you find that you would normally not see while driving. Such as finding a steel trowel yesterday and $2 this morning. Although the $2 makes up for the coffee I spilled on my morning commute yesterday.

Sat Jun 29 03:42:00 2013 I have a Motorola Matrix HD from AT&T, and I am,wondering why I cannot download the app as it is not on the list, (or at least I didn't see it anyway). Anyone have any info on this?

Wed Jun 26 20:56:00 2013 Rick: I feel your suffering of summer weather in MS! We actually two Centennial Trails in WA - one in Snohomish County and the other one in Spokane. Which one do you plan to ride?

Wed Jun 26 15:38:00 2013 Steady as she goes Don! Yes, it looks like summer is just around the corner. Does that mean the wind will stop? I don't think we've hit 300 sunny days in the six years I have lived here, so you can blame me. See you out there!

Tue Jun 25 23:06:00 2013 @Louise - I hope to have an opinion about the Centennial after the 4th. I'm planing to take my better half there for a ride that weekend. I've heard really good things about it.

Tue Jun 25 22:56:00 2013 Ha! I'm just getting little nibbles this week, partly because I've found summer weather. Out in Starkville, MS, this week, on a business trip. 89 F at 6:30 pm when I got out for a quick few miles. Don't know the area well enough to know where a good ride is, so I'm just exploring. Most of the in-town roads had a lot of 4-way stops . Safer than 2-way for cyclists, but it's hard to get momentum. Found one 'long' drive with bike lanes that was a throughway. That was nice. The heat makes me really appreciate those 60's and occasional 70's back home.

Tue Jun 25 21:28:00 2013 Little nibbles every day. I haven't really done any long rides yet this year. We haven't had our nice, summer weather. Maybe this weekend will be good. It is starting to look like we will get into the upper-nineties. We are most certainly not going to hit our advertised 300 days of sunshine this year!

Tue Jun 11 13:40:00 2013 Thanks Louise! You'll see me around the registration table and at the 3rd food stop. For the second year my food stop will be powered by bicycle. This year I'm excited to have some help hauling all the food and gear up to our spot.

Mon Jun 10 01:00:00 2013 How was your ride this weekend? I had planned a 70 mile ride on Sat but discovered a significant crack in my rear wheel a short way into the ride and had to head back to town. Got a ride in this morning on a loaner wheel. Beautiful weather here in Walla Walla and the wheat is starting to change color with harvest about a month away.

Thu Jun 6 13:05:00 2013 We at the Bicycle Alliance believe that some of the best bike trails are right here in Washington! Do you have a favorite bike trail? We want you to tell us about it! Please take a minute to complete our trail survey:http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WABikeTrails

Thu Jun 6 11:15:00 2013 @ Rick, you're a man after my own heart. I too believe we need to somehow tap that CBC Commute Challenge esprit de corps. I too used the Commute Challenge to recruit members to the NBC by sending them a message in the challenge a rider/team system. Washington State stands to be a huge competitor if we can just coerce our ridership to participate.I love the statistical breakdown provided by events such as this and use it to leverage local agencies and government representatives to prioritize funding for bicycling infrastructure. My team ATAPA and I and our constituents live in the land of the Olympic Discovery Trail. We are serious about creating an active transportation conduit from Port Townsend to the Pacific Coast but would also like to get some inroads for connecting to ferry service from Seattle and Edmonds.Several of our group will be riding the Flying Wheels this weekend. Perhaps I'll borrow your card idea and promote the NBC while riding. If we all spread the word and participate, we could get some serious traction on the rankings for our state.

Wed Jun 5 17:12:00 2013 Luke, I'm with you. Washington has great potential. The mileage tally in the Commute Challenge in King county dwarfed the NBC mileage for the whole state in May. I see that Sterna Paradisea (a Boeing team) signed up and logged their May miles. That's a huge help. I hope my lobbying at the Captains' Bash and my posting on the Commute Challenge web site brings us some more NBC riders.

Thanks, Louise. I shrank the postcard promo from the NBC marketing materials to business card size and printed up some micro-perf card stock. Two problems that I didn't have time to deal with - the text is very small. Only "National Bike Challenge" is readable without a magnifier for those of us of a certain age. Second, the small text is in a low-contrast, gray font, making it all the harder to read. Still,. it's something I can hand out for a reminder to people I talk with. Cheaper to print and easier to carry on bike than a stack of post cards. It would be great if BAW or NBC offered a more readable business-card-sized template that we could use in our 1:1 marketing efforts.

The weather is great on the here on the we(s)t side of the Cascades. Let's ride!

Wed Jun 5 13:21:00 2013 @Rick - I bought one of the NBC Jerseys and have started wearing it on some group rides and making announcements. I like the card idea. I may need to print some of those up as well. I feel like WA has the potential to be much higher in the state rankings in the NBC if we could just get a bit more participation. With some help from our local Health Department the participation in Walla Walla has jumped from 19 last year to over 80 so far this year.

Wed Jun 5 12:09:00 2013 Still handing out my business-card-sized promos for the NBC. One yesterday to my physical therapist, and one this morning to a young lady doing "hill work" -- which happened to be the hill that crests just up from my house. We talked for a few minutes. She was prepping for her 2nd STP, as am I. But she's a marathoner, and, I think, works harder at it than I do. She was familiar with Endomondo, but not the NBC. I hope the card is a reminder for her when she gets home.

Fri May 31 12:16:00 2013 Let's hear it for your scrappy statewide bike advocates! Bicycle Alliance of Washington currently rounds out the top 3 on the workplace leaderboard--behind Boeing and Microsoft.

Wed May 29 12:38:00 2013 Celebrate your favorite trail this Sunday, National Trails Day! In honor of National Trails Day, WA State Parks is waiving the Discover Pass requirement at all state parks this Sunday.

Fri May 24 01:05:00 2013 @ Joshua, look out Pacific, Port Angeles is gunning for 1st in state and we won't quit till we're number one! We'll be powered by ATAPA (Active Transportation Advocacy of Port Angeles).

Wed May 22 22:26:00 2013 So glad the site lets you go back and log miles when you've let over a week go by without signing on! I'm moving this weekend and will have a much longer commute so from here on through September I'll be racking 'em up.

Sun May 19 16:59:00 2013 I was just doing a little calculation, and unless I am mistaken somewhere I won't actually hit the diamond mark unless I ramp up my miles. The daily casual 'around town' riding just isn't going to cut it.

Fri May 17 12:51:00 2013 A little liquid sunshine out there this morning, but not bad. Thanks to Forterra, BAW, City of Federal Way and Phil's Bike Shop for the commute station at the north end of the BPA trail. And thanks to Poverty Bay Coffee for their support. of the station. And I did get a free Hazelnut Macchiato at Starbucks in Safeway, so thanks to Howard, too.

Wed May 15 16:18:00 2013 This evening is the national Ride of Silence. The following Washington communities are holding rides: Renton, Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver and Wenatchee. Ride details can be found here: http://www.rideofsilence.org/locations-domestic.php#WA

Wed May 15 16:12:00 2013 Rick - We putting the word out abut the FW commute station and you'll see our Share the Road/Share the Trail materials on the table. Grab some to share with friends and co-workers!

Wed May 15 15:32:00 2013 Louise,My thanks to BAW. I just saw the note that BAW is co-sponsoring the commute station down my way. Forterra's name stands out the biggest on the flyer, and BAW is to the right with the City of Federal Way and Cascade. Thanks to you all.

Wed May 15 11:35:00 2013 Winter's over and road construction season has begun. Both routes from home to work now have active projects. My primary inbound route includes a wide sidewalk on a 5 lane arterial. That sidewalk was closed, and I had to climb the hill in traffic. I don't mind that so much, but some drivers are going to have to go back to school. It's not safe for two vehicles to occupy the same lane, even if the driver thinks they can both fit (car + bike = 2 vehicles).

Saw lots of bikes on the way home yesterday, and had a chance to mention the NBC to one rider. Went home and printed some business card stock with a reduced image of the NBC postcard from the Marketing Material tab. The print is small and I wish it had better contrast, but it gives me something to hand to folks when I mention the NBC. Maybe it will be a reminder to them to check it out when they get home.

Tue May 14 20:19:00 2013 Another Bike to Work reward is being offered by Grand Central Bakery. Drop in one of their retail locations with your helmet and receive a rustic baguette!http://www.grandcentralbakery.com/locations/

Tue May 14 16:07:00 2013 Starbucks is rewarding riders with a 12 oz 'hand-crafted' beverage on May 17, Bike to Work Day -- at participating locations. Show some bike gear to the barista and claim your beverage.

Tue May 14 13:27:00 2013 And close by in Auburn, Alaska/Horizon Air are hosting a commute station Friday morning. The Cascade listing shows it at the Auburn Sounder station, but I think they moved it during the event last year out to the Interurban trail to catch more riders. Look for it Friday morning, 6-9.

Tue May 14 13:26:00 2013 And... If you're biking in Federal Way on Friday morning, we have what I think is our FIRST commute station. It's hosted by Forterra at the north end of the BPA trail - near the ball fields at Celebration Park, about a block west of Pacific Highway. From the flyer: "Bikers and walkers welcome." Snacks & coffee, plus mechanical support by Phil's Bike Shop. The first one in Federal Way, and it's right on my commute route. Woo hoo!

Sat May 11 18:07:00 2013 Congrats Eric! We look forward to seeing you at the Ann Ride. Today about 32 riders came out for a ride in rememberance of Ann Weatherill who was killed by an oncoming car on Mother's Day 2004. Today we rode her favorite ride and in her favorite color purple. The Ann Law was passed several years ago which prohibits cars to pass another vehicle when there is an oncoming bicycle, horse rider or pedestrian. Keep on riding and be safe everyone!

Fri May 10 19:40:00 2013 Congratulations to Eric Abbott of Seattle. He is the lucky winner of the Walla Walla Bicycle Weekend raffle. A big thank you to all who participated in the raffle--we raised nearly $1000 from it.

Tue May 7 12:00:00 2013 May Day ride was a success. I think the registration topped out at 311. Some first-timers said they liked the ride and plan to do it again. I only rode to Wilkerson, which was my goal. Headwinds north from Sumner were tough. It's the first time the 400 ft climb back to Federal Way was more relief than challenge. From the sun and wind to the cool, shady climb on the one-way. Up on the hill, I my legs began complaining. I pedaled the last half mile with my left leg, letting the right one hang free to avoid cramping. We do this for fun. Got over it quickly, but the legs were telling me I was done.

And another note on the ride. Phil always adds his pavement commentary to the climbs. He knows you'll have time to read, and it can take your mind off your legs. That last climb is at least locally known as "Phil's Hill." This year, it is "Lance's Hill." Lance David was a friend of Phil, and the pavement commentary was a remembrance of and memorial to Lance - for us to remember him, and to ride safely.

Mon May 6 14:37:00 2013 Rick: Most groups that organize local challenges are really focused on their events. I think Cascade and other local challenge hosts will encourage their participants to switch over to the National Bike Challenge as the local events wind down.

Mon May 6 13:29:00 2013 Too bad we can't get all the Commute Challenge riders to register and log their miles in NBC, too. There are almost 7500 riders who have already logged over 223,000 miles this May. These are just commute trips, since that's all that counts in the Commute Challenge. Since the Commute Challenge only covers May, it would be great if we could get Cascade to promote the NBC to its Commute Challenge riders.

Fri May 3 15:18:00 2013 I've got a raised veggie bed to dig out, repair and refresh.And then I'll be prepping my bike for Sunday's ride. Front fender is off already. Rear will be coming off, along with any commute related stuff not needed for riding & climbing. And I'll also be removing some of the grit & grime from the most recent rain. The bike should shine on Sunday. I hope I do, too.

Fri May 3 13:11:00 2013 The weekend forecast looks fabulous! What fun things are folks planning to do? I want to spend some time in the garden and take a bike ride along the Alki waterfront for some people watching.

Thu May 2 19:04:00 2013 Hey Seattle folks: Drop by the Bicycle Alliance of WA office in Pioneer Square for our open house this evening! Hoist a pint with us as we celebrate Bike Month and National Bike Challenge! https://www.facebook.com/events/624336694262442/

Thu May 2 18:00:00 2013 Luke: Tri-Cities organized a separate Bike Month challenge for May. Not sure if they'll get rolled into this section with the rest of us when their challenge is finished.Rick: Thanks for giving May Day Classic a thumbs up!

Thu May 2 12:05:00 2013 Anybody know why the local page shows 289 WA riders but when you go to the National leaderboard and click on WA it shows 412 riders? Also, I notices that there are some riders that show up in the WA leaderboard within the national WA page but don't show up on the local leaderboard for WA.

Thu May 2 11:47:00 2013 It's not too late to plan to head down to Federal Way on Sunday for the May Day Classic. The ride starts and ends at Phil's Bike Shop. Looks like great riding weather on Sunday.And no, I don't work for Phil's, and I don't get anything for posting this other than perhaps a few more riders to chat with on Sunday. I just think it's a good ride. Part of your $25 registration and any residual funds go to BAW and the Orting Food Bank. Oh, yeah, I forgot. Unicycles ride free. :-)

@Luke - I had the privilege last year of riding from Eatonville to Kennewick. Awesome trip and good roads. I would love to get over to Walla Walla this year. Is Hwy 12 OK to ride from Kennewick or should I be looking for other roads?

Tue Apr 30 16:17:00 2013 Can't count last week's Lilac Century mileage, but I'm signed up for three more this season. Hope it warms up in Spokane...I get my newest bike today and I want to go out. 20% chance of rain or SNOW today!?

Mon Apr 29 23:48:00 2013 I rode my first organized bike ride yesterday, the Lilac City Century Bike Ride. It was a great experience, very well organized, friendly and encouraging people in the ride and along the way. I am happy to be a new member of endurance riding training with my friend for the STP in July.

Sat Apr 27 00:41:00 2013 The Walla Walla Weekend raffle prize the Bicyle Alliance is giving to one lucky winner looks great! We'd love to have you all come out to Walla Walla that weekend (June 15th) for the Ann Weatherill Cycling Classic. I'm on the organizing committee for the ride and we are working hard to make sure we have another great ride this year. This year we will be donating $1 from every entrance fee to the Bicycle Alliance.

Fri Apr 26 11:55:00 2013 @Lanny. I'm not looking forward to "The Wall," and I haven't tackled Phil's Hill since last September -- but I am looking forward to his "Burma Shave" commentary on the pavement to take my mind off the climb. One of the things I like best about this ride is that it starts about 3 miles from home. None of this "drive somewhere to bike" business. I just ride over the the Start and count those miles as part of my ride.

Fri Apr 26 11:46:00 2013 Hip fracture is no fun at all. Fell in a turn on the way to work when the roads seemed OK. I knew about the fall when I looked up from the pavement - it was that quick. Fortunately the break was simple to set & pin, and recovery has gone really well. Still some weakness & stiffness - of which I'm reminded every time I throw my left leg across the the saddle - but it will get better.

Thu Apr 25 12:05:00 2013 Got in my first more-than-10 mile ride of the year with a milk-run up to Tukwila to pick up a ship-to-store order. Good to see that all the parts were working following my December hip fracture. I'm feeling better about the May Day Classic (Federal Way, May 5th).http://philsbikeshop.com/mayday/

Fri Apr 19 11:50:00 2013 Enjoyed some April showers on my ride to work this morning. I'm looking forward to a weekend of cycling with the Tour of Walla Walla stage race this weekend. We'll have Main St open for bicycles only all day on Saturday with kids races in the morning, Parade of Bikes at noon and the criterium in the afternoon. I'm not a racer but I enjoy spectating and volunteering.

Wed Apr 17 18:07:00 2013 Louise,I've registered company teams in both the local Commute Challenge and the NBC. The company also has a year-long fitness/wellness campaign that engages company locations across the country. This year, the NBC just happens to fit into one of the 'promotional time slots' of that year-long event. Because of the timing and the "nation-wide" nature of NBC, our fitness/wellness campaign coordinator is promoting NBC to the local coordinators. Yee-ha! I get more publicity and very likely more company colleagues participating in NBC this year.

Now I just have to remember to purchase my Walla Walla Weekend lottery tickets.

Wed Apr 17 13:09:00 2013 Luke - Wheatlland Wheelers have set the bar--right on!Rick - Local commuter contests are very important and it's important to be involved, so glad to hear you're fielding a team there. If you have team members who don't want to track miles in two places, encourage them to join the National Challenge at the end of May so they can keep that bike mo' going all summer long!Carmen - A team is more than one person, so even a few folks can be a team!Thanks, everyone!

Wed Apr 17 10:40:00 2013 Would love to get our bike group involved but I don't think enough people want to do this. There are a couple members who have signed up to go at it solo but not enough to represent a team.

Mon Mar 18 03:14:00 2013 Ah yeah, I think Gene actually gets credit for the link but whatever. As long as you got it now Carmen. There is a 2012 page and a 2013 page. Maybe you were stuck on the 2012 page which is over and I believe wouldn't let you create a team.

Sun Mar 17 23:02:00 2013 Thanks for the link Brian. It is the only way I am able to get to that section. Sorry Gene, but when I try to follow your suggestion I can't seem to have it show me 2013, only 2012. It doesn't even show an option for it. All it good now that I bookmarked the link.

Stepanie/Carmen FYi: I still don't know why the toolbar doesn't appear on one of my PC's but you can get to the leaderboard directly by entering the link below. That will allow you to at least connect to Communities. Don't know how to create a team though.

Sat Mar 16 12:25:00 2013 Stepanie/Carmen - As Brian P states "click Leaderboard. Then Local or National" at the top of the page. Then we can click on "Communities" to see where riders are from. I'm able to do that on my home PC. It magically appeared when I logged in.

HOWEVER, I don't have the same "menu/toolbar" on my work PC. Haven't figured out yet why the two PC's treat the NBC link differently. I expect this will all clear up by the time the warmup is done but I'll keep looking.

Thu Mar 7 19:44:00 2013 Luke, I think between us we should be able to get quite a few BABR people to join. We'll have to bring it up on the ride coming up on the 19th. Quite the miles packed in already I see. I'm only at around 165 miles this year, but it's more than this time last year. Looking forward to the next two seasons of riding.

Wed Mar 6 15:12:00 2013 I hope everyone had a nice off-season (if you had one) and are ready to Ride More in 2013. I know I am. I have already logged 326 miles this year as oppose to last year at this time when I had ZERO. Ride safe everyone.

Tue Mar 5 17:29:00 2013 I just signed up. They just started a new wellness program at Key and are aware of the challenge. There are a few Wheatland Wheeler types here that do 50+ mile rides on the weekends, but I'd like to see the dozen regular guys who commute every day sign up.

Tue Mar 5 11:59:00 2013 We had a full page feature on it in our county employees news letter that came out yesterday. I'm working with the special projects coordinator at the health dept to promote this with local businesses as part of their wellness programs. And I got support from the leadership of the Wheatland Wheelers club and they will promote this event as well. And Carmen, between you and I we should be able to get more participation from the BABR crew. Watch out Tri-cities, we're coming for you! :)

Mon Dec 24 21:17:00 2012 Rode my last 5.5 miles for a while on this past Friday. One too many commutes in icy conditions. It seemed safe enough, and much less chancy than my Tuesday commute, but I found a slick spot in a left hand turn at about 15mph. I was in the turn and, boom, I was down hard on my left side. Lots more details, including kudos to the motorist and cyclist who came to my aid, but the bottom line is a fracture at the neck of my left femur. Surgical repair to install a weight-bearing bracket and screw. Prognosis is good, but no cycling for 3 months. Be careful out there; "Ya cannot change the laws of physics, Cap'n."

Mon Dec 24 21:17:00 2012 Rode my last 5.5 miles for a while on this past Friday. One too many commutes in icy conditions. It seemed safe enough, and much less chancy than my Tuesday commute, but I found a slick spot in a left hand turn at about 15mph. I was in the turn and, boom, I was down hard on my left side. Lots more details, including kudos to the motorist and cyclist who came to my aid, but the bottom line is a fracture at the neck of my left femur. Surgical repair to install a weight-bearing bracket and screw. Prognosis is good, but no cycling for 3 months. Be careful out there; "Ya cannot change the laws of physics, Cap'n."

Sun Dec 23 21:17:00 2012 Rode my last 5.5 miles for a while on this past Friday. One too many commutes in icy conditions. It seemed safe enough, and much less chancy than my Tuesday commute, but I found a slick spot in a left hand turn at about 15mph. I was in the turn and, boom, I was down hard on my left side. Lots more details, including kudos to the motorist and cyclist who came to my aid, but the bottom line is a fracture at the neck of my left femur. Surgical repair to install a weight-bearing bracket and screw. Prognosis is good, but no cycling for 3 months. Be careful out there; "Ya cannot change the laws of physics, Cap'n."

Thu Dec 13 20:36:00 2012 Tammy, a pedestrian was hit a block from my home here in Walla Walla yesterday morning. He was not killed thankfully. I hope efforts in our state to increase the penalties for drivers caught texting and talking on their cell phones while driving are successful.

Thu Dec 13 20:36:00 2012 Tammy, a pedestrian was hit a block from my home here in Walla Walla yesterday morning. He was not killed thankfully. I hope efforts in our state to increase the penalties for drivers caught texting and talking on their cell phones while driving are successful.

Thu Dec 13 18:54:00 2012 A pedestrian was killed and a cyclist seriously injured in separate accidents in Kennewick yesterday. it serves as a reminder to be on the lookout for inattentive drivers.

Sat Nov 3 12:34:00 2012 Rare, nice November commute in Puget Sound this morning. Left late enough to see the pink clouds on eastern horizon as the sun was trying to peek over the Cascades.Then there was the unmarked police car (or maybe unmarked private security car) that exited an apartment complex driveway, crossing to the grocery store lot in front of me - clear failure yield. Not quite a near miss, but I had to brake to avoid collision.Still, a nice commute in.

Fri Nov 2 17:30:00 2012 What a wet windy ride today. It was nice to go downhill but against the wind felt like it was uphill. I think I would still rather feel nature, even though it was not ideal, than to be in a car separated from the world.

Fri Nov 2 12:34:00 2012 Rare, nice November commute in Puget Sound this morning. Left late enough to see the pink clouds on eastern horizon as the sun was trying to peek over the Cascades.Then there was the unmarked police car (or maybe unmarked private security car) that exited an apartment complex driveway, crossing to the grocery store lot in front of me - clear failure yield. Not quite a near miss, but I had to brake to avoid collision.Still, a nice commute in.

Thu Nov 1 17:30:00 2012 What a wet windy ride today. It was nice to go downhill but against the wind felt like it was uphill. I think I would still rather feel nature, even though it was not ideal, than to be in a car separated from the world.

Fri Oct 26 19:22:00 2012 @Gene,I'm still watching. More traffic on the "National" site but I keep looking back here as well. Thanks for the update. I've not spent much time out east (of the Cascades), but what time I have spent suggested that there would be some fun rides there.

Thu Oct 25 19:08:00 2012 Not sure who all are viewing comments any longer but I realized I never followed up with a ride report from my ride out of Tri-Cities over Labor Day weekend. Had a blast! Good riding around that area, including Benton City - OIE Hwy, Webber Canyon Rd, Badger Rd to name three. I was meeting my ride home in Ritzville rather than Colfax so decided to ride the direct route - north on 395. Decent if you just want to get somewhere. Took a detour through Lind, WA to get to Ritzville and had the best ride of the day on Wahl Rd. All in all a great weekend.

Sat Oct 13 14:22:00 2012 Carmen, what really got me riding back in 2004 was my car breaking down. I couldn't afford to fix it so I started riding. A year later when I could finally afford to fix my car I was in the habit of riding and had found out how easy it was to get around by bike. I'm so glad my car broke down!

Thu Sep 27 12:31:00 2012 I've got one more count shift today here in Federal Way, at a roundabout. That will be fun - I take that roundabout every day I ride, so I see lots of interesting approaches to navigation. Occasionally, someone actually pays attention to the signage & lane markings. Weather's pretty nice, so I expect to see some non-motorized traffic, and I'll be comfortable counting.

Tue Sep 25 23:55:00 2012 Testing to see if we can still post on this blog. Great day today. Counted cyclists and pedestrians at the head of the BPA trail at Celebration Park in Federal Way. Grand weather for late September.

Thu Sep 6 16:04:00 2012 Congratulations to all the Washington riders who participated in the National Bike Challenge! You guys are amazing! Be sure to check the News Feed for a list of August prize winners. We hope you join us again next year. Be sure to sign up for e-news updates from the Bicycle Alliance of Washington at http://oi.vresp.com/ and join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/bicyclealliance.

Sat Sep 1 02:19:00 2012 Enjoyed the challenge this year, and everyone's comments on the blog. Made double platinum, but fell 50 miles short of 1500 actual miles. I plan to do more organized rides next year and boost my mileage.Signed up as a volunteer for the Washington State Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project coming up Sep 25-27. Hope to see numbers that will provide pressure for more bike & pedestrian facilities here in Federal Way. If there's a count in your neighborhood and you have time, please consider volunteering to be a counter.

Keep those pedals turning, and, in the words of one of my bike-commuter colleagues, "Keep the rubber side down."

Fri Aug 31 20:57:00 2012 I enjoyed riding with you all during this challenge. I am already thinking about next year and hoping to see our WA participation go to 1,000 or more. I hope we all keep riding and promoting bicycling in our great state.

Tue Aug 28 22:25:00 2012 Thank you, Kim! I decided to take P-K Highway because it is shorter but I asked about Glade Road because it was on the cue sheet for the Oregon Randonneurs' 1000K route to Whitefish, MT. You know that rando group - If it doesn't have a hill or chip seal, it's not a decent route. Makes me wonder about Lanny.

Tue Aug 28 13:16:00 2012 @Gene Smith - Glade Road North is chip sealed with a minimal shoulder in places. I hate it and I've vowed to stay off of it. But I've never ridden the P-K Highway, either. I've driven it plenty of times and noticed there isn't much a shoulder there, either.

Mon Aug 27 11:50:00 2012 That would be me Jenni, so thanks for the Kudos!! I live in Suquamish, so the Tour de Kitsap included much of my regular fun and training routes. I LOVE the area!! And the hills still offer a challenge, even after 4 years of riding them!

Mon Aug 27 11:36:00 2012 I just want to say that kudos to anyone who lives west of the Narrows Bridge. I've done just about all of the major rides this year (Daffodil Classic, May Day Metric, 7 Hills of Kirkland, Wheels to Meals, Flying Wheels, Tour de Pierce, STP, Tour de Kitsap, Tour de Peaks, and yesterday the Bainbridge Island Hill Climbers Summer Challenge) and the two hardest rides of the year, by far, have been the 75 mile course of the Tour de Kitsap and the 52 mile course on Bainbridge Island. HILLS. ELEVATION. Again kudos to anyone who lives over there and rides them regularly. :)

Sat Aug 25 01:17:00 2012 For you people on bikes in the Tri-Cities, I'm hoping to ride from Pasco to Colfax next week and wondered if it is better to leave Pasco north on Glade Rd to Connell or ENE on Pasco Kahlotus Rd? See you on the road.

Thu Aug 23 13:24:00 2012 Who cares about rankings? Well it is my opinion that competition is what encourages many people to do more by seeing how well they compare to others. Why do you suppose they have a leaderboard? I always ride solo, but I don't know how many stories I have read about the race to the top of the hill, or to a certain road sign, bicycling magazines are filled with them. It does not matter that there might be 10,000 other riders that could beat you, it only matters that you were first that day, with that group. Yes, I do understand the purpose of this challenge but I also think that the setting of personal goals, (maybe to be first), is what drives a lot of people and probably a big reason why, as a group, we have accomplished so many miles during this "Challenge". I would guess that there are not too many riders that have not checked where they are in the standings.

Wed Aug 22 21:33:00 2012 Who cares about rankings? I'm in second place in my community, which is Tacoma and I don't even live in Tacoma! Now Tacoma has 30 riders registered and 25 have only logged miles. You telling me there are only 30 cyclists in T-Town or the surrounding area? Doubt that. Also, I know there are some Tacoma cyclists who have already logged 4,000 plus miles this summer. So knowing that, essentially the rankings are a moot point, unless you are trying to outride a friend who maybe doing the NBC as well.I can't do nothing about Joe Schmoe is Eastern Wa. Especially when I know how many miles I plan on riding in a week.

What matters is we helped the NBC reach its goal of 10 million miles ridden, stayed healthy and became better advocates for cycling and/or bicycling commuting.

Good job everyone and lets hope for some great weather from now until November so our season can be extended.

Wed Aug 22 19:08:00 2012 If you want to call someone out, just go ahead and do it. I have GPS data for every ride I did, not that I have to prove it to you. Some of us don't use the app and use our GPS devices and can't upload after every ride. You'd think for someone who appears advanced in age, you might possibly be mature. Stay safe out there, bro.

Wed Aug 22 15:08:00 2012 Well I didn't know we had a celebrity riding with us but the clues all there 500+ miles post in a day, major forest fire in your backyard, so your either Smokey the Bear or Bigfoot so i see why you want to keep it private

Wed Aug 22 12:37:00 2012 I agree with Doug....although I see your point Skeeter! I do believe most of us are being honest with our miles, and I think it's pretty sad if someone feels the need to cheat on this. I mean isn't the point to save the environment, money on gas and get a little excercise in the process, NOT to boost an ego!! There is some pride in sitting at the top of the leaderboard, but I can't imagine feeling it if you've cheated your way to get there!

Wed Aug 22 09:44:00 2012 Meh, I'm okay with rides not showing. I'd rather not share my home and work place as public information. Besides, it's pretty sad if people need to cheat at this. It's not like you get any special prize for first place or anything. Also, I think I read somewhere that the administrators are allowed to look at ride data if there is any question about whether or not it actually happened.

Wed Aug 22 01:17:00 2012 Total agreement with you Skeeter, really not that hard to find an app that will track your miles AND track them accurately. We got some super studly riders in WA, I'm thinking.

Mon Aug 20 16:55:00 2012 Brian P.- Yeah I have to agree, the last third I was pulling out the mental stops, trying to find things to think about to take my mind off the distance left. But my riding time was 7 hours on the dot. That first jaunt was sure pretty though!

Mon Aug 20 16:35:00 2012 I really feel that all rides should be shown if you want to be in the rankings tired of people adding 200 to 500 miles in a day of riding if you want to be ranked your rides should be shown won't do this next year people take all the fun out of it

Thu Aug 16 13:21:00 2012 Dumb, dumb, dumb. Tried to cross a very dry, very hard, slightly elevated grass strip in going from sidewalk to curb to roadway. I had checked and there were no approaching cars. Didn't try to bunny hop. Just turned my front wheel into the strip and got rejected. Front wheel veered off and I went down hard on my tuckus in the roadway. Bad glute bruise. The good news is that it's less painful to pedal than to walk.

Wed Aug 15 10:28:00 2012 A bike path that I really enjoy that Sunset Magazine missed is the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes in Idaho. This 72 mile paved path takes you from the mountains along the ID MT state line down through the silver valley to Lake Coeur d'Alene and on to the edge of the Palouse. This weekend I enjoyed riding from Kellogg, ID to Wallace and back.

Mon Aug 6 21:50:00 2012 @Lanny, sounds like a well supported ride. I think I need to get out of Pierce, Kitsap, and King counties to do some other rides. I was lucky to be able to do the Courage Classic this weekend with a team from work. Hope to see you all out on the road.

Wed Aug 1 18:22:00 2012 @Scott. Ouch. He couldn't settle for just breaking one thing. And you're right. A week is way too long. I have the good fortune to have Phil's Southside Cyclery within 100 yards of my homeward commute (and < 3 miles from my house). He can usually take care of the things I can't do or don't have time to tackle, and do so in short order for a reasonable price. Sounds like your bike was pretty much disabled, but I've pedaled into Phil's in the afternoon with a worn bottom bracket & ridden out 20 minutes later on a new one. (No, Phil doesn't pay me to say this.) Again, hope you're up and running again by tomorrow.

Wed Aug 1 17:36:00 2012 I think he kept pounding on the pedals after it got caught, putting enough stress on the chainring to bend it and torquing the derailleur completely back on itself. It even ended up bending the aluminum seatpost water bottle cage!

I bought a new chainring yesterday and a new derailleur should be on my doorstep about now via Amazon so I've got a project to complete tonight to get me back on the road. It's been a week and that's way too long.

Wed Aug 1 13:25:00 2012 @Scott -- Trashed the chainring? Wow, that's abuse. I was just thinking about front derailleur longevity on my ride home yesterday. OK, I know that's weird, but weird things happen while pedaling. Rear derailleurs take lots of wear and abuse, particularly with winter riding, but fronts are up and away, and really only see action when changing rings. Seems like they should last almost indefinitely. Part of this train of thought was triggered by a Craigslist posting for an XT FD for $24, when I know I've seen and bought good FD's at bike swaps for $2 or $3. Even those looked pretty new.Good luck with the repair.

Tue Jul 31 20:05:00 2012 Never let your teen son ride your bike. Mine trashed my front derailleur and largest chainring last Thursday by pedaling too fast backward while stopped. I'm out of commission at least until tomorrow and slipping in the leaderboards.

Mon Jul 30 12:16:00 2012 @Marsha I had every intention of heading up there yesterday to do the 73 miles route, however some things came up Saturday night and I didn't get to bed until late. Too tired to go. Sounds like a good route with some challenging hills. So to make up for it, I'm going to go Climb Mudd Mt. Dam a couple of times tonight.

Tue Jul 24 16:42:00 2012 @ John. This is my 9th year here. No, the weather's not that far from the norm, but I was sure getting used to those 60 degree mornings in the 1st part of last week. Low 50's on Monday was a little shock to the system.

Fri Jul 20 00:55:00 2012 Had a lovely ride with the family today along the Trail of the Couer d'Alenes in Northern Idaho. Saw several moose. It's a beautiful, well-maintained asphalt trail and it's very easy riding.

Tue Jul 17 12:03:00 2012 More STP. Really liked the routing over the beautiful St. John's bridge and through the neighborhoods from there to Holladay Park. The view of and from the bridge was enough to re-energize the legs for those remaining few miles. Overnighted near Portland and then made the necessary 'pilgrimage' to the cycling section of Powell's Books on Monday before heading back north. Ran into a couple of other STP riders making the same stop.

Tue Jul 17 11:46:00 2012 @Gene and all. STP was great! Perfect temps and only an occasional spritz of rain Sunday. I did have a difference of opinion with a little piece of wire. It thought my tire pressure was too high and I disagreed. Took an extra tube to win the argument, but I finally did. Thanks to Dave Greenwoodl riding Goldwing support for use of his compressor. And congratulations and thanks to all the riders and support folks who made it a great experience. BTW, I was surprised that my ride time to work this morning was about the fastest time so far this year.

Mon Jul 16 16:18:00 2012 Rode up Hurricane Ridge for my first time on Saturday! The climb was HOT, long and slow going, but I made it up in around 2:45, and the awesomely FUN descent made it totally worthwhile!!!

Sat Jul 14 14:06:00 2012 @Rick and all the STP riders, not riding it myself but hope you have an enjoyable ride. Totally expecting a one day mileage record for the NBC. To quote a line from the traditional Irish blessing, "May the wind be always at your back..."

Mon Jul 2 14:27:00 2012 Yes, Mary is right. Top team for the month of June is Whatcom COG Cyclists, followed by Cycle-M and the Bicycle Alliance's Everyday Cyclists. Walla Walla was the top riding community for June and Doug Wood is top rider for the month. Way to go, everyone! We'll do our random drawing for local prizes after the holiday. Look for an update next week in the news feed.

Mon Jul 2 12:13:00 2012 If the points are final, then it's Whatcom COG Cyclists for the WIN for the month of June! Woohoo! And that's with one team member not entering any points (how many reminders did I send?). What fun. Don't feel too bad BAW staff, third place is great too. :-)

Fri Jun 29 22:27:00 2012 Congrats Pete for taking first in Tri-Cities. I tried to best you but came up short this last week. Doubt I'm going to give you much of a run next month due to scheduling, but I'm gonna do what I can. Congrats again, you earned it.

Fri Jun 29 11:15:00 2012 I have been riding my bike to work here in the tri-cities for the last 25 years on the bike trails through the parks next to the rivers. On Wednesday for only the second time on the boat dock in Howard Amon Park I saw a Black-crowned Night-heron.

Sun Jun 24 18:41:00 2012 @ Don. Participated in the Century Challenge last year for the first time. McNeil Canyon is unforgettable. The first loop to Mason and back was AWESOME! I wish I could do that ride once a week. Great town w/respect towards the cyclist. If anyone in the state hasn't ridden there, I would highly recommend it.

Sun Jun 24 12:26:00 2012 Century or the smaller Cycle de Vine yesterday in Chelan. LOTS of cyclists all over town that day coming and going fromt he various course loops. Among the mix were the dozens of people riding around town on e-bike rentals. Rain and lightening circled the town all day, but I never felt anything other than a minor sprinkle every now and then.

Tue Jun 19 21:08:00 2012 I started because of financial reasons, now I do it by choice and have been completely car free since august of last year. If I sit at home for a day or only do my commute I actually go through a mild withdrawal...is that normal?

Sun Jun 17 04:36:00 2012 Great ride this week end, rode from Kennewick to Cle Elum, following the Yakima River.What a beautiful ride, then rode with the Boy Scouts, on the John Wayne trail from Stampede Pass road through the Snoqualmie Tunnel and back.

Sat Jun 16 14:39:00 2012 A gorgeous day for the Ann Ride here in Walla Walla. I'm relaxing at our final food stop 10 miles up Mill Creek Rd. All food a gear transported by my Kona Ute and Bikes At Work trailer.

Tue Jun 12 11:25:00 2012 Recommended reading - when you can't ride: Two Wheels North: Bicycling the West Coast in 1909. A short book that's a little bit history, a little bit motivation, and a little bit of insight to how much cycling infrastructure has improved (When did you last ride a corduroy road?). Two teenagers leave Santa Rosa, CA, in late summer with their bikes ("wheels") and about $6 in their pockets, intent on riding to see the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo in Seattle.

Mon Jun 11 15:58:00 2012 No response to the May Winners story in the news feed. We did a local prize drawing for May and the winners are George Buhlmann (Seattle-Bellevue-Everett) and Dave Braun (Spokane). Gentlemen, please email me at [email protected] to claim your prizes.

Mon Jun 11 10:05:00 2012 Wow! A sunny morning in the Puget Sound Area made for a wonderful commute to work. A far cry from the cool, damp start to the Flying Wheels Century on Saturday where I saw Mr. Black Bear standing on the side of the road waiting to cross....! Fortunately it was on a descent and I was able to zip by him before he decided to cross.

Fri Jun 8 16:51:00 2012 I was going to attempt my first century ride today, but the wind is relentless and it seems I am pushing against it no matter which way I go. Still hit a personal best for mileage but I'm headed home to relax.

Fri Jun 1 00:20:00 2012 Hey, Josh. Good to hear from you. Cascade (Group Health Commute Challenge) is just for King & Snohomish, and just commuting. Pierce/Tacoma have another system for Bike Month. Interoperability and data sharing would be a good thing. Cascade's system for commute logging actually worked really well this year. After a couple of flaky years, I think they got the bugs out. My employer uses yet another statewide system for logging commute trip reduction data -- RideShareOnline. So far, Endomondo logging has worked well for me, both for the manual commute entries and using GPS logging on my phone. The GPS logging has been more reliable than MapMyRide was a couple of months back.It's worth noting that the National Bike Challenge is really about encouraging any activity on a bike, whereas the GHCC and other Bike Month events are focused on making the bike all or part of the daily commute. Then again, for me, bike commuting was the gateway drug. Planning on my first STP this summer.

Thu May 31 15:00:00 2012 Looking at "Communities," it seems a little strange that Federal Way gets aggregated with "Seattle-Bellevue-Everett." My home is just a good rock throw from Tacoma city limits. Of course I'd like to see enough local riders to have a community oi South King County riders - Kent, Auburn, Federal Way, Des Moines, Maple Valley, Enumclaw...)

Tue May 29 18:47:00 2012 Thursday is the last day of May and marks the end of the first month of the National Bike Challenge. Your monthly miles must be logged in by 11:59 pm on Thursday to qualify for the monthly prize drawing! Refer to the Rules under the Toolkit menu if you have any questions.

Mon May 28 16:56:00 2012 Excellent day for a ride today. Hit out to Saca Park from Richland, tailwind most the way out and headwind most the way back. Was looking to make a full loop out to the gates and back but work called me in so I cut it a bit short, next time.

Mon May 28 13:04:00 2012 @Lanny I agree! We just got ranked as the number 1 bike friendly state in the US but it is hard to tell by looking here. I would love to see us move past 1000 riders. I put a small piece in our county newsletter, that reaches about 300 employees, about the challenge, have been promoting it at all our local club events and on Facebook. Has Cascade Bicycle Club gotten on board with this challenge? I can imagine that a lot of there energy is going into the Group Health Commute Challenge this month.

Sun May 27 16:14:00 2012 Nice sunny ride up to Mudd Mt. Dam yesterday, and a great recovery ride this morning.Here's hoping for a relatively dry week. Getting tired of cleaning up the bike after every ride in the rain.

So looking at the number of riders registered on this site from our state I'm a little surprised. 466? I know we have more than that in the state. We need to spread the word a little bit better and get us up in the rankings from 15th. In my book, our state is top 5 material when it comes to cycling.Keep up the great work everyone! Enjoy the ride!

Sun May 27 12:59:00 2012 I'm from Ohio but spent the month here in Seattle, so I hope you don't mind that I logged my miles to your city. I really enjoyed cycling here and the weather has been fabulous. I've visited Seattle many times (my sister lives here), but May is especially beautiful. Your hills are challenging, but they're worth every pedal stroke for the views from the top. I have to go home tomorrow :-(

Thank you for the November soaker you will be dumping on us the next two days. Hopefully it will wash away the pollen.Even though I enjoyed my 30 miler yesterday in your "liquid sunshine" I'm not going to commute in this crud.Looking forward to sunnier days w/passing showers.

Sun May 20 20:03:00 2012 Today my 10 year old son and I were pulled over by a Douglas County deputy for not being far enough to the right in our lane. Needless to say, I will be having a conversation with the sheriff tomorrow.

Sun May 20 15:33:00 2012 Rode to church on the tandem this morning with my wife. We love our tandem and being able to ride together that way. Makes it easier to talk to each other which is very important when you're riding a tandem.

Sun May 13 23:13:00 2012 The top two teams in the state are from Tri-Cites! I've cycled to work most days this school year, and on Friday I hit 3000 miles since I purchased and began riding a "fun" (i.e. not fast) bike a year ago.

Sat May 12 22:31:00 2012 My wife's Mother's Day wish was to commute to her favorite restaurant in Richland, WA and have lunch. Son came with us and we had a wonderful time. We ate outside with the Columbia River in view. The restaurant we went to even had parking for bicycles. Gotta like that. I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.

Sat May 12 11:07:00 2012 Not too shabby. The Bicycle Alliance's team of Everyday Cyclists ranks #6 among the Washington teams, but well behind the leading team, Cycle M. And Marsha Ernst is very mpressive as our overall leading rider! Over 400 riders riding over 19,500 miles--nice job, everyone!

Fri May 11 11:23:00 2012 OK, a first for me and I've been riding a bike to work since 1980. Going down a one way street and here comes a car going the wrong way. Hmm, 18 lbs. vs. about 2 tons. I gave the car the right of way. Ha!!!

Wed May 9 14:28:00 2012 Olympia folks: you have an opportunity to catch a Willie Weir performance tonight! The Capital Bicycling Club is hosting world bicycle traveler WillieWeir for an engaging and entertaining show, Cycling and Wild Camping Through Portugal.http://capitalbicycleclub.org/2012/04/07/weir/

Sat May 5 10:30:00 2012 Puget Sound guy here. All right. Just got registered and ready to go. I'm two months behind this season as compared to last. But last season I put the bike up after 11 Sept. This season I want to extend into November.Hat's off to all you Sounders who commuted on Thursday! You are dedicated commuter warriors! Looks as if we'll get an extended break from the liquid sunshine. Well I'm off to starting logging my weekend miles.Keep Pedalin'

Fri May 4 12:35:00 2012 Brian > I got home just before that downpour. Whew!!! That was some pretty heavy rain. I remember cycling between two cities on a country road and it began to hail. The hail stuck to my arm warmers. I'm sure people thought I was crazy. Ha!!!

Fri May 4 01:43:00 2012 Pouring rain tonight. I think it may have rained on my harder tonight then any other time this winter. I was thinking about how most people will go their entire lives without knowing what it is like to ride in the rain.

Thu May 3 16:04:00 2012 There was a little rain in the Tri-Cities this morning, but not even enough to saturate the pavement. I'm glad. I rode my road bike this morning rather than my all purpose commuter that has fenders. Looks good for this afternoon. Might have som wind, but if you tried to wait till it wasn't windy, one might never get a ride in here.

Thu May 3 15:21:00 2012 Just another drizzly day in the Pacific Northwest. Thankful that it's not as dark in the morning or afternoon as it was a couple of months ago. Just gear up and go, and hope for a drier ride home.

Wed May 2 23:44:00 2012 Wow! Not a bad start for the National Bike Challenge, Washington! Our state is currently #15 on the national leaderboard and the Tri-Cities is #28 nationally among communities! Let's break 300 riders this week. We've got all summer to ride!

Tue May 1 12:53:00 2012 @Luke: I think your mtb miles count, but I will confirm. As of May 1, everyone was zeroed out for the official start of the Challenge. This could be the reason your miles are gone.

Mon Apr 23 15:52:00 2012 @Louise Those spring flowers did seem extra fragrant today. So glad I get to enjoy that every day. I left early this morning and took the long way down a bike path and enjoyed listening to all the birds enjoying spring.